


Broken Souls

by LyssiLyssi



Series: After the Metaverse [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: (because Shiho), Abuse, Angst, Bullying, Character Death, Child Abuse, F/F, F/M, Hurt, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It's gonna be rough, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Some Fluff, Some comfort, Suicide Attempt, don't judge the messy tags, some happy moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24776707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyssiLyssi/pseuds/LyssiLyssi
Summary: Solitary Confinement was not kind to Ren Amamiya.Ren returns to his hometown a shell of his former self, the toll of taking the brunt of the police hostility being nearly too much for him to handle. And it almost is, until he realizes he goes to school with the girl that he couldn't save.  As much as he blames himself for sending her down this path in life, Shiho wants to make the most of it and help both of them repair their broken souls - together.(Set in the Persona 5 canon, however will have characters from P5R, such as the Yoshizawas)This fic can be read standalone, but is set in the same universe as Thieves Without a Metaverse, my main fic!
Relationships: Amamiya Ren & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Amamiya Ren/Suzui Shiho, Kurusu Akira & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto (Background), Kurusu Akira/Suzui Shiho, Persona 5 Protagonist/Suzui Shiho, Suzui Shiho & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Takamaki Ann/Suzui Shiho (Background)
Series: After the Metaverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1792243
Comments: 83
Kudos: 148





	1. Misery Loves Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read, just a note:
> 
> This fic is gonna be rough. It's gonna tackle some serious themes like self harm, serious bullying, past traumatic events, death, and more. If you're looking for a fluffy fanfic, this isn't it. Not to say there won't be any happy moments, or humor, or fun times, but it's not a focus. There will be trigger warnings per chapter if something serious comes up, so if you're more sensitive, please keep an eye out!

“I love you.”

“I love you too, my Q-Queen.”

Ren and Makoto had many close calls which resulted in tearful moments. Normally, it would end with them hugging each other fiercely, letting the other know that they will always be there. But, nothing came close to the separation anxiety the two of them began to feel at that moment.

To be specific, the moment where Makoto had to leave Ren behind in one of the sleepier areas of Yaizu, Japan, to the population of 140,000 that branded him as a criminal. Ren used to think that his town was quite large, but after the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, he may as well have been standing in the middle of a rice field where everyone and their mother knew the gossip that permeated through it. Well, maybe that was an overstatement. Perhaps not everyone knew about his past, but he’d be foolish to think everyone in his neighborhood, school, and surrounding areas didn’t.

It wasn’t hard for Makoto to tell what Ren was thinking at that point, as the two of them stood in the front door to his modest home. Even though they seemed nice enough when she met them, she had heard the horror stories about his parents. They could be worse, but they had a hell of a lot they needed to work on.

Makoto tightened her grip on Ren, and she could feel tears in her eyes. Her voice lowered to a whisper so only he could hear. “Please, just come back to Tokyo. We’ll get you into Shujin somehow. We’ll find you a proper therapist. We can use our Metaverse money.”

Ren pulled back so the two could talk face-to-face. “As much as I w-would love that, just throwing down the arm and leg it costs to go to Sh-Shujin would raise too many red flags on why a 17 year old has so much money. I w-wouldn’t put taking the entire account from me past them, either. We need to keep those funds secret, and my p-parents won’t pay for any other school than the one they chose for me here.”

The brunette could feel the light leave her eyes as she let her head fall into his chest.

He rubbed her back softly in comfort, but Makoto didn’t fail to notice the wet drop of a tear on the top of her head. “I’ll visit on breaks. We’ll still t-talk daily with video chats and the like. And no matter what, I’ll be in Tokyo n-next year when I come back for college. I just gotta survive the next year.”

Makoto pulled back up again, and a scared look crossed her face. “You shouldn’t have to call living in your hometown ‘surviving.’ Who’s going to help you with your nightmares? Who’s going to help you get through your trauma from solitary confinement? You-”

“Please, Makoto.”

She tried (and failed) to choke back a sob. “I’m… I’m sorry, I just worry about your mental health and-”

Ren knew Makoto was trying to help, or maybe even just vent, but he didn’t want to hear any more of it. He raised a hand up to quiet her. “I’ll be fine. At least I’ll have a talking c-cat to keep me from going insane.” He winked half-heartedly, which earned a wistful sigh from his girlfriend.

“Lucky for you, I’m one of the 10 or so people in this entire world that wouldn’t consider you insane for saying that in the first place. But in all seriousness Ren, please stay safe, stay strong, and stay healthy. And if there’s somebody you trust, please talk to them. You’ve been quiet with me, but you can’t bottle this up forever. And… I won’t judge you if you go to somebody else first, if you think that’s easier. I just want you to be ok.”

As much as it pained him to admit, she was absolutely right. He couldn’t confide in her, or any of the thieves. He had to remain strong as their leader. He couldn’t show weakness to those who showed their own weakness to him.

Ren nodded, kissing Makoto one more time before she backed away from him, towards the van that all of the other thieves were waving to him from.

“I will, Makoto.”

\----------

The first words Ren’s parents spoke to him in a year were “You brought back a cat with you?”

Ren brought a hand up to his shoulder, where Morgana nuzzled it. “H-He’s very well behaved.”

Ren’s mother, Hira Amamiya, crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the feline on his shoulder. “You know how cat fur makes me sneeze. Will you be able to keep it under control?.”

He fought the urge to shake. “He doesn’t shed. I promise. I-I’ll take care of him by myself, and neither of you will ever have to lift a finger. “

His father, Kazuo Amamiya, leaned in to stare at Morgana. The feline returned as innocent a look as a cat could possibly muster.

After several tense seconds, his father pulled back. “Well, I suppose keeping a pet would help to keep his criminal tendencies in check… Very well. Just keep it under control.”

Turning around, he headed back to the living room while calling out over his shoulder. “Your boxes came in yesterday; they’re sitting in your room. I don’t know how you came back with more stuff than you left with, but don’t expect us to help you unpack.”

Hira held a look with Ren for several seconds, before saying “welcome home, dear,” followed by wrapping him into a hug. Several seconds passed before she let go of him, then followed her husband into the living room.

Ren managed a faint smile back as he allowed his feet to carry him on autopilot to his old room. Up the stairs, down the hall, take a left, and there he was.

His room was about a third of the size of his attic space in Leblanc, but Ren would admit that it was quite cozy. The walls were painted in a soft grey, and while most of the room was pretty plain, black and red throw pillows on his bed caused the room to pop a little. His single-sized bed was jammed in the corner under the sole window in the room, which overlooked the street out front. Next to that sat his desk, which had a PC that was probably a bit too old to efficiently use anymore - he made a mental note to have Futaba help him pick out a new one. A dresser sat on the wall opposite his bed, and a red bean bag sat in the corner next to his closet. Finally, he had a modest TV in the corner of his room furthest from the bed, sitting on top of a TV stand.

“So even before the Phantom Thieves, you were a fan of our color scheme, huh?” Morgana asked as he jumped off of Ren’s shoulder and onto his bed, looking back up at him.

“I uh… None of that was here before, actually.” He replied, pushing a hand into the bean bag to test it. Liking what he felt, Ren eased himself into the bean bag. “Wow, this is really comfortable…”

“Woah, really?” Morgana hopped off the bed and made his way over. Ren scooted over to allow the cat some space as he nestled himself into the soft fabric. “Oh, you’re right! I can imagine this being my new throne!

“It’ll be more c-comfortable than your favorite table you sat on in the attic.” Ren said as he took in the familiar sights of his room.

A comfortable silence passed before Morgana spoke up again. “Hey, you always told me your parents weren’t very good people, but it seems like they bought you all of this new stuff. Isn’t that good?”

Ren shrugged. “I guess, but it’s a bit out of character for them. Even b-before my criminal charges, my parents were always incredibly strict with me. For as long as I remember, my dad and I have butted heads. And as you saw downstairs, he still thinks I’m a criminal. My mom is a bit better, and she’s still strict in her own way, but she has her moments of k-kindness. And I’m guessing this,” He gestured to the room’s new decorations, “is one of them.”

“Your mom seems nice, though. She welcomed you back, and even gave you a hug.”

“Maybe. But before I l-left for Tokyo, my mom treated me like my dad does. I don’t trust her. I don’t trust either of them, t-to be honest.”

“You can’t trust your own mother? After she seems to be trying, given being nice to you downstairs as well as buying you things for your room?”

A shaky sigh escaped from Ren. “Morgana, the only people I trust are you, the thieves, and my confidants. I just… I can’t trust my parents. They’re strict. They’re normally unrelenting. They claim it’s tough love, but I’m not sure. My relationship with them is very complicated, and there’s a lot to unpack. For one, she’s never been this nice to me before. It feels weird, and I can’t help but think it’s either a mask of some sort, or she wants something from me. I just can’t tell yet.”

“I see… Well, at least you seem to be doing ok right now. You have barely stuttered since you’ve gotten to your room, which is a good step.”

The boy snuggled further into his new bean bag. “Even if I don’t like Yaizu, I love this room. I’ve spent my entire life here. It’s my safe haven. I feel more comfortable even just being in here, to be honest.” Yawning, he took his phone out of his pocket and placed it on his desk next to him. Petting Morgana absent-mindedly, he closed his eyes while mumbling, “Maybe it won’t be so bad here…”

He had never been so wrong before.

\----------

By the time the first day of school for the new semester rolled around, Ren began to compare his parting with Makoto to that of a beloved seeing their loved one off to war. Even the sanctuary that was his room couldn’t keep him away from his strict parents, for one. His dad was the worst of the two by far - at least his mom would call him by name instead of ‘criminal’. He even caught his dad once on the phone complaining about how he had to deal with Ren again. The harsh blow was only alleviated slightly when Ren’s mother scolded him for saying things like that when inside the house. Did that mean it was ok to say that type of stuff _outside_ , where other people would hear?

Perhaps that was the case, because when he went out to buy groceries at one point, he could tell people were whispering and pointing at him. Whether it was because of his dad spreading rumors, comments about him being the leader of the Phantom Thieves, or just straight up gossip, each point would make him feel smaller. Each hushed laugh made him hunch his shoulders more.

The morning commute to his first day of the semester was no different. Some of the students going to his school, Isegawa High School, were clearly talking about him in hushed tones. If he focused, he could pick up some conversation over the rumbling of the train.

_“Hey, Amamiya-kun is back from Tokyo, look.”_

_“You think he learned his lesson after assaulting someone?”_

_“Didn’t you hear? His charges were dropped. Apparently he was framed.”_

_“I don’t know, he still looks suspicious to me…”_

So even here, he was going to be swamped in rumors...

Ren felt a rumbling in his bag, then shortly after Morgana popped his head out to look at the teen. “They don’t treat you kindly here, even though you got your charges dropped? That’s horrible.”

The boy simply sighed, and absent-mindedly pet Morgana on his head. “I-I’ll be fine. I’m used to it...”

Morgana practically scowled as he sank back into the bag, Ren getting up to get off the train. “You shouldn’t have to get used to it in the first place.”

The mumbling and whispering persisted around him even as he made it to school grounds. The boy groaned inwardly, and opted to stare at the ground a few feet ahead of him as he made his way forward.

_Just one year…_

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize that there was somebody standing in front of him until it was too late.

“Oh, excuse me,” He said quietly and looked up to see a girl he bumped into already getting back up, pen and paper in hand. She was clearly eager and excited to speak to him, but… was that fear in her face, too?

She chewed her lip, staring at him, before responding shyly. “U-Um, Amamiya-san… C-Can I have your autograph?”

Ren shut his eyes for a good half second in surprise.

“Why would you want my autograph?”

The girl pouted at him, as if angry he asked why. “B-Because, you’re the leader of the Phantom Thieves!”

Ah, right. That.

As much as his identity being public helped him get out of that hellish solitary confinement cell early, the entire world knowing he was the leader of the Phantom Thieves had its repercussions.

“Was the leader. The Phantom Thieves have d-disbanded.” He shook his head politely, but also grabbed her pen and paper.

One happy fangirl later, Morgana popped his head out of Ren’s bag to watch her run off to her friends. “At least the public doesn’t know you killed a god. You wouldn’t hear the end of it otherwise.”

Ren scoffed as he climbed the steps to the school’s entrance. “Don’t remind me.”

\----------

“Ah, Amamiya-kun. It’s such a pleasure to have you back!”

_If you’re lying, the feeling is mutual._

“It’s nice to be back, s-sir.” Ren said emptily instead.

Principal Ine could quite easily see his lack of enthusiasm, so he opted to lower his voice, even though they were the only two in the room. “Listen, Amamiya-kun. I sympathize with you. Living in Tokyo for a year has got to be an unforgettable experience, probation or not. I wouldn’t blame you for hating being back here. Your parents filled me in on your situation. You have a lot of friends who really liked you in Tokyo, and I can imagine you’d do anything to go back.”

“Uhh…” Was all Ren could say at the completely unexpected gesture.

Ine waited for him to compose himself.

“Why… Why are you siding with me, Ine-san?” Ren asked quietly.

The principal sat back in his chair with a sigh. “You were an excellent, albeit very quiet, student your first year here. Then to hear you were suddenly arrested for assault, while the defendant never even had their name mentioned throughout the entire case? I’m no fool, Amamiya-kun. I didn’t think one of our best had fallen into delinquency like that.”

Ren didn’t reply.

“Anyways, your homeroom teacher should be by shortly to collect you. In the meantime, Amamiya-kun, I'm going to warn you. The rumors of you at this school have been numerous. Some about your previous criminal record, and some about your position as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. I’ll do my best to keep them from going out of control, but there is only so much I can do when the vast majority of the school and this city love to gossip.”

“I… I g-greatly appreciate it, Ine-san.” Ren thanked him with a small bow. At least the principal would be on his side in this battle against a town that either didn’t want him, or wanted him just to latch onto his unwanted fame.

“Fortunately, it does seem like you have a few fans who don’t believe you’re a criminal. While I’ll admit they are vastly outnumbered by those who hold you in a bad light, please know that there are people here who will not judge you.”

“That is… Nice to hear.” Ren said absently. Maybe things wouldn’t be absolutely horrible… If he hadn’t been utterly broken during his time in solitary.

The rustling in his bag brought him back to attention, and he spoke up just as he heard the door open behind him. “Oh, Ine-san. I have a service animal with me. H-He’s a very well-behaved cat, and he helps keep my… mental health stable. Is it ok for me to h-have him here?”

As the two rehearsed, Morgana popped his head out from Ren’s bag and gave a quiet, short meow. Ren set his hand on his head, and Morgana nuzzled into it affectionately.

A sharp voice from behind Ren made him jump. “Absolutely not! There are no pets allowed in this school!”

As he recovered, Ren turned behind him to see a stern-looking woman with short blonde hair giving him a discount Niijima glare. Even though the frizzy-haired teen had endured many harsher glares in the past year, he felt himself trying to shrink into his uniform.

“Now now, Saita-san, we can make an exception for a service animal. It would do more harm than good to disallow Amamiya-kun to have his cat with him.”

His homeroom teacher, known as Saita, held her glare. “Fine. But if that cat is disruptive or makes a scene, I am throwing him out. Is that clear?”

Ren sighed. “U-Understood, Saita-san.”

“The nerve of that woman…” Morgana muttered under his breath, which was heard as a very quiet meow to the other two in the room. Saita sighed in response, promptly turning around to walk back out. As she left, she called out over her shoulder, “You are with me in class 3-A. Don’t be late.”

Once the door shut again, Ren did his best to steady his breathing. God, if any of the thieves could see him now. The once prideful leader, the fearless thief, reduced to sniveling away from a measly homeroom teacher…

Where’s Kawakami when you need her?

He attempted to shake it off, adjusting his glasses as he stood up. Before he could turn around, Ine got his attention once more.

“Please don’t mind Saita-san. She’s very strict and wary of you, I’ll admit, but she’s got a soft side. She’ll come around, I’m sure. Before you go, here is your student ID. Is there anything else I can do for you, Amamiya-kun?”

As nice as Ine’s treatment of Ren was, it made him cautious. “Ine-san, why are you doing all of this for me, really?”

Ine stood up as Ren did, bowing slightly as a sendoff. “It’s as I said. I don’t think you deserve any of this. And besides, it’s the least I can do for the hero who saved this ungrateful country. You are dismissed.”

\----------

“Well, the principal seems like a great ally. ” Morgana wiggled out of Ren’s bag, resting on his shoulder. “Not only does he seem to side with the Phantom Thieves, but he also might be one of the few people in this city who believe your side of the story from when you got arrested.”

Ren merely nodded.

Morgana hummed, before moving further up to nuzzle his cheek. “Hey, you ok? We can really angle this service animal thing. I can sit in your lap during class if that would help ground you.”

The cat could see one edge of Ren’s mouth curve into a small smile. “I don’t deserve you, Morgana.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now get to class before we’re late, I think the bell’s about to ring.”

\----------

Ren took a deep breath, clenched and unclenched his hands a few times, and gave Morgana a nervous scratch on the head.

“You got this, Ren. You can keep your hand on me if you want.”

Ren opted to do so, and used his other hand to open the sliding door to his homeroom.

“All right, class. We have a new student today. You may come in.”

Ren hesitantly walked into the room and stood next to the teacher’s podium. Turning to face the class, he found that he couldn’t even bring himself to look up at his new classmates.

He felt Morgana nuzzle his hand, and did his best to steady his breath.

“I’m Ren Amamiya, a-and this is my service cat, Morgana. I h-hope we can all get along.”

And just as he expected, the rest of the class erupted as soon as he closed his mouth.

_“Wow, he looks completely different from before he was shipped off to Tokyo.”_

_“I can’t believe somebody as pathetic-looking as that is the leader of the Phantom Thieves.”_

_“I think it’s his glasses, it totally makes him look less scary.”_

_“Scary? He’s looking at the ground. Seems like his probation took a toll on him.”_

_“Good, I can rest easy knowing he won’t snap at any point.”_

_“He gets a service cat? No fair!”_

“Settle down!” Saita rapped her fingernails on the podium, garnering the attention of the class. “As for your seat… You will be sitting in the free seat by the window, next to Suzui-san.”

_Suzui?_

His head snapped up so quickly that half the class jumped. One girl even squeaked.

His eyes found the free seat in question, and next to it was Shiho Suzui.

She was here, of all places? This very school? This very classroom? And of course, literally right next to his desk for the next _year?_

Ren could feel Morgana stopping himself from yelping in surprise, both from the very unexpected twist of Shiho being the person who would sit next to him, and from the sudden tightness from Ren’s hand on his neck.

Of all the people, it had to be her.

The one girl that he couldn’t save from her torment.

Aaaaaaaand he could already feel the regret and self-hate burning through him.

As Ren moved to his seat, Shiho cast him a small smile.

He gave a shaky smile back, too shocked to regard the rumors already surrounding the two of them.

\----------

“U-Um, Amamiya-kun.”

Ren looked to the side to see Shiho standing next to him, her lunch in her hands.

“I’m going to have lunch on the school roof. Would you like to join me?” She asked shyly, her eyes looking anywhere except for the boy in front of her.

“O-Oh… Um, sure. C’mon Morgana, get in the bag.”

Two minutes later, the three found themselves standing in front of the entryway to the roof.

“Unlike Shujin, students are allowed up here. It’s a really big space. There are benches, and a big garden.” Shiho said as she opened the door, the bright sunlight causing them to squint.

Ren wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed with her, but he felt he had to address the elephant in the room. “U-Um, are you ok being up here? With… you know…”

Shiho sighed, but it looked like she had expected this question. “Even if it’s open, nobody ever comes up here except the gardening club after school. I come up here to eat my lunches.” Her voice dropped. “And… to remind me I’m stronger than I used to be.”

 _Oof_ . _Time for a subject change._

“What about your friends? S-Since you eat up here, where are they?”

“I don’t really have any friends here. I eat lunch alone.”

_Shit._

Ren chewed on his lip briefly, then motioned to Morgana. “Hey, d-do you mind giving the two of us a little space?”

Morgana wiggled his way fully out of Ren’s bag and hopped to the floor, stretching. “Sure thing. The roof is big here, so it looks like there’s a lot to explore. Just do the usual when you’re done or going back inside.”

With that, he slipped away. Ren watched him go, but was brought back to attention by Shiho.

“What did he say?”

Ren was starting to wonder if he’d get whiplash from all the head-whipping he’d done so far today.

“You know he can t-talk?”

Shiho smiled. “Ann tells me a lot of things.”

“I see…” He started making a mental note to tell off Ann next time they talked, but scratched it once he remembered just how many people in Tokyo know about the Phantom Thieves because of him. But hardly anybody knew more than that he was a thief himself. “I-If you don’t mind me asking, what else do you know?”

Shiho sat down on a bench, inviting him to join her. He took a seat a reasonable distance away while she responded. “On the topic of Morgana, I know that he is intelligent, and has contributed a lot to the team.”

“That he has. He’s an amazing companion, a-and I consider him to be my b-best and closest friend.”

“That’s really sweet. I wonder what it would be like if my best friend were a cat.”

Ren chuckled dryly at the image of Ann as a literal panther. “My cat would th-think he has an actual chance with your cat, if that was the case. Y-You don’t want that.”

To his surprise, Shiho outright laughed at his quip. “I’ve heard all about how he calls her ‘lady Ann.’ I don’t envy that.”

Her laughter subsided after a short while, and they fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds.

“S-So, what else do you know?”

“Not much else, I guess. Ann became pretty vague with information once she found out the police had taken interest in your group. I know that you all use some sort of parallel dimension where you change people’s hearts. I know you all have magic powers. I know you had to go to juvenile hall to testify against Shido. And while it’s common knowledge you saved Japan from political corruption, I know you saved the entire world as well... Thank you for that, by the way.”

“You’re welcome… So, a lot of the basics, then.”

“Yes, I suppose so…”

Another awkward silence.

“Amamiya-kun?”

He jumped slightly. “Y-Yes?”

“Ann talked about you a lot. She said you were a lot of great things, one of them being fearless.” She looked at her shoes, the uncomfortable tension between two barely-known acquaintances evident. “So… Why are you so timid?”

Ren’s breathing hitched.

She looked over to see him wide-eyed, staring at the floor as if it could disappear from him at any second. His hands were even shaking - wait, scratch that. His entire body was shaking.

The girl immediately realized she struck a serious nerve; the backpedaling came fast and hard. “I’m so sorry, you don’t need to talk about it, please forget it.”

“I-It’s ok…” He said, his voice as shaky as the rest of his body. “Don’t feel bad about it, though. I...I haven’t really even told my friends the specifics either…”

They were quiet for a few minutes, and Shiho waited until the shaking fully subsided before she posed her next question.

“A-Amamiya-kun?”

“Mmm?”

“Would… Would you be my friend?”

That got his attention. He looked up from the ground and studied her face intently.

“W-Why would you want to be?”

She furrowed her brow. “Why? I think the answer should be clear. You’re one of Ann’s best friends. Any friend of Ann is a friend of mine, to me.”

“I... don’t really have anything to offer you, though. I don’t have my powers anymore. I’m u-useless.”

“Amamiya-kun, it’s not about having powers or being useless. You should know that.”

Ren slumped back into the bench, sighing. “Maybe… I guess they did a p-pretty good job at juvie in convincing me that I’m worthless, h-heh.”

“You are not worthless. You helped a lot of people in Tokyo; please remember that. And from what Ann says about you, there’s much more to you than any of that. So, let me ask again. Would you be my friend?”

“If you don’t mind, then…” He said timidly, his face moving back to the floor.

Shiho shook her head frantically. “Of course not! I asked, after all! And, besides…” Her voice trailed off as she too found the floor very interesting to look at. “I think it’s very clear we both really need a friend right now…”

Another silence began, which the two took as an excuse to open their lunches.

Neither spoke until both of them had packed up their finished bento boxes and set them on the bench next to each other.

He was so quiet, Shiho was just about to look over to see if Ren fell asleep before he suddenly spoke up.

“S-Solitary confinement.”

Her eyes widened. “H-Huh?”

Ren took a deep breath, then clapped his hands together twice. Shortly after, Morgana came zipping from somewhere in the shadows and leapt onto the boy’s lap, snuggling into him. He absent-mindedly pet him as he continued.

“When I was sent to juvie, they p-put me in solitary confinement.”

“Oh... “

“They claimed it was b-because they didn’t know my methods… But, I-I think they did it to get back at the Phantom Thieves making the entire police force and judicial branch a laughingstock. And… I-I was not treated well… To put it mildly...”

He picked up Morgana and hugged him to his chest. The cat purred against him quietly as Shiho digested the information.

Her first thought was to feel horrible from bringing the subject up.

Her second thought consisted of briefly wondering what sort of treatment they gave him that would turn who used to be a cocky, fearless yet quiet boy into the scared husk he was now.

And her third thought contained many choice words for whoever did that to him, and why they would be so harsh on the savior of the world. Even if they didn’t know that.

She probably could’ve gone on, but the bell signifying the end of lunch rang throughout the campus. Shiho silently stood up, grabbing both hers and Ren’s bento boxes while he stood up, still clutching onto Morgana.

“I… I do feel a little better telling somebody.” He said softly as they made their way to the door. “And, um… I don’t mean to offend, but it’s e-easier to talk with somebody who…”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, so Shiho did it for him. “Who is broken like you?”

Ren nodded, Morgana squeaking as he was clenched tighter.

“Amamiya-kun…”

Shiho felt her throat tighten up. It would be a false claim to say she hadn’t improved her mental state since last April, but she still had a ways to go. And if she was broken, Ren was completely shattered. However, where one may find two broken souls, they also find something else. Something just as strong as they are weak.

Companionship.

“Would you want to go get some ramen after school, Amamiya-kun? There’s a really good shop not far from here.”

For the first time today, Ren smiled.

“S-Sure.”

\---------

Ren was laying in bed, Morgana at his side, when his phone buzzed.

> **_Makoto:_ ** _Hey, how was your first day of school? Did everything go ok?_
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _Could be worse, I guess._
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _The principal is part of the Phandom, and he doesn’t buy into the rumors. He’s letting me keep Morgana around school as a service animal._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _That’s great! I know how much of a comfort Morgana can be to you, I’m really glad they’re allowing it. But, what’s this about rumors?_
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _Are they about your record before it was dropped?_

_..._

> **_Makoto:_ ** _Ren? Please say something, you’re worrying me..._
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _Everyone is scared of me, except half also want my autograph. I signed 3 of them today._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _I’m sorry Ren, I know you just wanted to go back to a peaceful last year. I didn’t think that the rumors would persist even out there. And you have no reason to be signing autographs, you can just decline them if you want your privacy._
> 
> **_Ren_ ** _: By some twist of fate, though, Shiho Suzui sits next to me in my class._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _Suzui-san?! I knew she was here since Ann begged us to stop by her place, but she’s on the other side of Yaizu. There’s a lot of high schools, and you both happen to go to the same one?_
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _I guess so._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _That’s quite the coincidence. Are you happy she’s there?_
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _I’m not sure yet. It’s nice to have somebody I know, even if she and I are just acquaintances. But... it’s my fault for why she’s here._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _Ren, please don’t start that. You know it would’ve been impossible for you to save her in time. And I'm sure she's doing better now._
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _She’s not fine. She’s just as broken as I am, Makoto._
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _My parents are calling me for dinner, I gotta go. Talk to you later. Love you._

Without bothering to wait for a reply, Ren willed himself to get out of bed. Morgana came up next to him, staring expectantly.

“I just… I wish I had my friends here, Morgana. And I’m glad somebody I know from Tokyo is here too, but… I j-just saw my own failures every time I looked at her today.”

Morgana was silent. He may be the embodiment of human hope, but he was not the embodiment of human therapists. Instead, he rubbed his head on Ren’s hand, a little unsure on how to proceed.

“It’s like Makoto said; It wasn’t your fault. Let’s go get some food. Maybe you’ll feel better after dinner.”

His phone sat on his bed vibrating with unanswered text messages as he left the room.

\----------

> **_Shiho:_ ** _So, there was a very interesting development at school today._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _Hey, you! I was just about to shoot you a message asking how today went. I would’ve messaged you earlier, but I had a photoshoot this afternoon._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _What happened? Gimme gimme gimme!_
> 
> **_Shiho:_ ** _You know how you mentioned Amamiya-kun was moving to Yaizu too, but on the opposite side of the city?_
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _Yeah! It was a great excuse to see you after we dropped him off :) What about it? Did you see him in the city?_
> 
> **_Shiho:_ ** _Actually, he sits next to me in class._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _WHAT?!? He does? But you guys are like, on opposite sides of the city? I know you just said that but whaaaaat?_
> 
> **_Shiho:_ ** _He mentioned to me that Isegawa is a pretty prestigious school. His parents sent him there because they hope it’ll ‘whip him into shape.’”_
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _That’s horrible! He hasn’t told me that his parents are like that…_
> 
> **_Shiho:_ ** _He hasn’t? I… assumed he would have told you all, at the least._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _Ever since he came back from juvie, he’s been… distant. Or like, very quiet._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _Shit, I probably shouldn’t even be telling you all of this in the first place. Please forget it._
> 
> **_Shiho:_ ** _He… actually already told me that he was put in solitary confinement._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _HE WAS PUT IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT? I DIDN’T KNOW THAT! WHY DID HE TELL YOU AND NOT US?!_

Shiho cursed under her breath at her realization of slipping up. When they ate ramen earlier Ren told her Makoto knew, but she thought that meant everyone else did too by extension. She might have messed that up, but she wasn’t going to mess up and spill the beans again. She didn’t want to lose the budding trust in the one person who was interested in being her friend.

> **_Shiho:_ ** _I think I know why he didn’t tell you. But… It’s not my place to say anything. Not yet, at least. I’m sorry…_
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _… Just make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, ok? :/_

Shiho felt her fingers typing out her response before she even thought it out.

> **_Shiho:_ ** _I promise._

The girl drooped her shoulders and leaned back in her desk chair. Did she seriously just promise Ann she would keep somebody she hardly knew safe? He was a friend of a friend, but she still barely knew Ren. And she wasn’t sure if she could deal with the seemingly very heavy baggage he carried with him. She was just barely afloat herself.

But then again, that baggage was the primary reason he was willing to put his trust in her in the first place. He clearly knew what it was like to be broken. Like she was.

And as the popular saying goes, misery loves company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'll admit that part of me made this fic strictly for my favorite guilty ship, Ren/Shiho. I think the two of them are an amazing combination if done correctly, so I hope I can do it justice! I also was pretty annoyed with the fact that in the game, Ren seems completely unfazed by being in juvie for a month and a half. In my opinion, there had to be some serious damage that needs to be addressed. So, while some may think Ren will be acting very ooc here, it's because he kinda is. He's not the cocky, confident self he used to be.
> 
> Also, if you read my Thieves Without a Metaverse fic, you'd have seen by now what's going on between Ren, Shiho, and Makoto (chapter 17 if you want a refresher, or if you haven't gotten to it yet and think you missed something). This fic is going to address that. Basically, why their relationship is the way it is, how it came to be, and how Shiho recovered from the aftermath with Kamoshida, changing schools, etc.
> 
> Keep in mind though, that this can absolutely be read standalone as angst-y Shiho/Ren fic! So have no fear if you haven't read TWaM, you won't be confused with the story at all.


	2. Inner Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise upload! Y'all really liked the first chapter, so here's the second a little earlier than I originally planned to release it. Totally not because I'm in a depressive funk and y'all's positive comments about the story can make my day. Enjoy!

_“It’s Amamiya! Don’t look at him or else he might hurt us!”_

_“Get this though, somebody saw him and Suzui leaving school together yesterday!”_

_“No way! Why would she associate with a criminal like him?”_

_“Maybe she just wanted to get in his pants because he’s a Phantom Thief.”_

_“Just wait until he finds out her attempted suicide, he’ll ditch her in a second!”_

Ren did his best to keep himself from flinching due to the normal rumors, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard the last sentence as he crossed the school gate.

“What the hell? They know about Suzui’s past?” Morgana stuck his head out Ren’s bag, glaring at the whispering students. Ren said nothing, which prompted the cat to ask for a response. “Hello? You holding up ok?”

“Wh-Why do they know about her…?” Ren’s voice came out as a whisper, and Morgana had to strain if he wanted to hear it. “Didn’t she move away so she could escape rumors?”

“I don’t remember too much because it happened so early last year, but I think it was one of the reasons, yeah.” Morgana confirmed for him. “We should talk to her about it. H-Hey, seriously Ren, are you ok?”

The feline noticed tears had pooled in the edges of Ren’s eyes as he attempted to drown out the rumors. And as much as it hurt Morgana to see that, it also made him confused.

“Please don’t cry! You braved the rumors all last week, this is nothing!” He lifted himself over Ren’s shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

He sighed as he opened his shoe locker. “I-I’m doing my best not to… It’s just… I don’t want to drag Suzui-san down with me. It would only make her life harder here, and-”

“Excuse me, senpai? Umm, I don’t want to disturb you, but... I overheard your mumbling. Please don’t listen to those rumors. If you were cleared, you must be a good person.”

Ren turned his head to see a younger student staring up at him, her eyes shy but hopeful. He noticed she had a Phantom Thief logo pin next to her second year button. So, definitely some sort of fan.

“O-Oh… Um, thank you…” He said quietly, unsure of how to proceed.

The second year seemed to be nervous herself, but she persevered even though Ren’s short remark didn’t leave much of an opening for conversation. “Not everybody thinks you’re a horrible person. Although, the majority of the school does seem to think that and they sure like to be vocal about it… I’m not sure why, given you saved the country!”

A blush came across Ren’s cheeks as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, relaxing a little. “That’s good to hear, but I… kind of expected the bad rumors, though… P-People are scared of those who could be a threat to them…”

She shook her head, her black bangs shaking on her head. “Even if you could be a threat, I don’t believe you would harm people who don’t deserve it.”

Ren shut his shoe locker and turned to fully face the girl in front of him. She seemed pretty ordinary enough; no serious deviations in school uniform aside from the Phantom Thief pin on her blazier lapel. Her hair was very long, straight, and red, but her bangs only just about reached her eyes, which were adorned with a pair of black glasses. In fact, she looked quite harmless, aside from the fact that she had the lean body of an athlete. Didn’t look like she had hostile intentions, either, but what would her angle of attack be…?

He mentally smacked himself. _Not everybody is trying to hurt you, dumbass. Snap out of it._

“What is your name…?” Ren asked, his eyes on the Phantom Thief pin.

“O-Oh! I’m Sumire Yoshizawa. It’s an honor to introduce myself to you!” She took a step back and bowed at the waist, much to Ren’s embarrassment.

It quickly turned to a guilty feeling as he heard rumors erupting around him, however.

_“Oh my God, is she really trying to suck up to him like that?”_

_“Eh, I bet she’s just doing it because she wants to make sure he doesn’t steal her heart when he loses it.”_

Ren sighed shakily and stared down at the floor, drooping his shoulders. “You should probably j-just leave before rumors are spread about you…”

Yoshizawa stood back upright and shook her head instead, standing firm. “I want to prove those rumors wrong, senpai, and running away from you is not the way to do it.”

That caused Ren to look up in surprise. “...Huh. I-I suppose I won’t stop you… But there’s no need to be formal with me about it.” His attention went back to the pin on her jacket, and he allowed himself to give her a small smile. She had earned that much. “W-Would you like an autograph?”

The girl’s face lit up in pure excitement as she frantically nodded, reaching for her school bag. “Y-Yes! I didn’t want to be rude and ask but t-thank you for offering!”

She produced a Phantom Thief pen and calling card postcard in each of her hands, and Ren’s small smile widened. “You really are a fan, huh?”

She grinned as he took the card and pen from her. “Mhm! I also wanted to show my support for you, since you seem to be a little quiet. A-And, I want to help, too. If that’s ok with you…”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, taking a short break from writing. “Help in wh-what way?”

“I have a lot more of the Phantom Thief pins. I’m going to give them out to people who like you. So that way, if you see somebody wearing a pin, you’ll know they’re on your side and will back you up. Is that ok?” She asked hesitantly.

Ren kept her gaze with her for a few seconds, before smiling and turning his attention back to his almost finished writing. “Y-Yeah, but I’m curious… Why are you being so nice to me? And answer honestly, please. It makes me a little cautious...”

Yoshizawa’s shoulders dropped, and the sparkle in her eyes disappeared instantly.

“My… My father was one of the mental shutdown victims.”

That got Ren’s full attention. Morgana, who had been silent throughout the exchange, let out a confused meow.

“He was a TV station director who spoke out against Shido. He had a few successful talk shows that started to cause some sway in Shido’s popularity as a cabinet member, and… and…”

Ren held up a hand, stopping her. “Y-You don’t need to push yourself. I’m sorry to hear that…”

She took a deep breath and shook her head. “It’s ok, and please don’t be sorry - it was almost 3 years ago. You also brought that vile man to justice, and I’m sure my father is now resting peacefully. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart, senpai.”

“Y-You’re welcome…” He said, rubbing his left upper arm with his right hand bashfully.

The two stood there in awkward silence for a few seconds before the first bell rang, signaling class was about to start.

Yoshizawa recovered first, taking a step back and towards the classrooms and building proper, Ren close behind. “I’m sorry senpai! I wasn’t keeping track of time at all…”

Ren shook his head in response. “Don’t w-worry about it. Thank you for speaking with me. A-And here, this is for you.”

He held out the calling card to Yoshizawa, who took it and read it eagerly. They made it to the stairs, but she stopped instead of heading up. He waited for her to finish reading before making his way to his own classroom on the ground floor.

A couple of seconds later, her face lit up in a huge smile that Ren could swear it brightened up the entire hallway. “You’re so welcome senpai! Thank you so much for the card, and I hope to see you around!”

She dashed up the stairs without another word, which made Ren chuckle as he kept moving down the hallway to get to his own homeroom.

“Hey, that girl seemed really happy with what you wrote. You seem to be happy with it, too. Mind sharing?”

Ren raised a hand to his shoulder to pet Morgana on the head, reciting what he wrote. “Miss Sumire Yoshizawa, you are guilty of brightening my day, and attempting to make this school a friendlier place. For that, I have no need to steal your heart, as it has not a single ounce of distortion within. Thank you, a Phantom Thief of Hearts.”

Ren could practically _feel_ Morgana’s eyes rolling as he groaned good-naturedly. “You’re such an over the top sap. But, I’m glad it made you feel better.”

\----------

Shiho’s school highlights were easily the rooftop lunches with Ren.

Even if it’s only been a week, the two of them have entered a silent form of companionship. Not quite enough to be considered good friends, but as people who enjoyed each other’s company. People who were happy to have somebody else around so they weren’t alone.

They hardly spoke during lunch, and they hadn’t hung out since they ate ramen on the first day, but Shiho still enjoyed it all the same. And apparently, Ren did too. More than usual on this day, in fact.

“You seem to be in a better mood today, Amamiya-kun. Did something happen?”

Ren looked up from his lunch to Shiho, who seemed to be studying him with some intent. He smirked a little, then looked back down to his food.

“Y-Yeah. It turns out that not everybody here thinks I’m a criminal. I met somebody today who said she didn’t buy into any of the rumors, and thinks I’m a good person.”

Shiho’s face lit up at the good news. “That’s great, Amamiya-kun. I hope it will put a dent in all those nasty rumors.”

Ren nodded, taking another bite of rice absentmindedly. “Maybe, but I’m not going to h-hold my breath. Not that it really matters… I try to not let the rumors get to me, but... it’s r-really hard now. Fortunately it’s been quiet today, but…”

Shiho gave a noncommittal hum. “I understand. They can put you in a bad place, huh…?”

“Y-Yeah, something like that.”

They ate lunch quietly for the next few minutes.

“Suzui-san, can I ask a potentially… touchy question?”

“T-That depends… Wait. Actually, since you told me about solitary confinement yesterday… Go ahead, Amamiya-kun.”

Ren took in a deep breath, then steeled his resolve to man up and at least ask his question to Shiho’s face. “Do the students here know about… y-you know…”

“What happened at Shujin?” She finished for him, her voice dull.

“Y-Yeah…”

“They do, unfortunately… I’m not really sure how, but I guess some students got suspicious about my mid-semester transfer, then found old news articles online.”

“How long did it take for people to connect all the dots?”

“...”

“Suzui-san?” Ren looked over to see Shiho kneading her skirt with her hands uncomfortably.

“About a week or so since I got here, so about a semester and a half ago.”

He cursed under his breath, a rare hint of anger in his voice. “That’s insufferable. And you’ve been dealing with it all this time?”

Shiho didn’t answer.

“God dammit… Suzui-san, I’m-”

“Please don’t, Amamiya-kun. It’s not your fault.”

Ren looked up at her in mild surprise.

“Ann told me it would have been impossible to do anything about Kamoshida before… my situation. So please, don’t blame yourself.”

“...”

“Amamiya-kun?”

He put his head into his hands, and sighed. “I know, you’re right. Realistically, even if I attempted to steal his heart before that, I would’ve most likely died trying. But, I just…” His voice died in his throat as he tried to continue.

“Again, please don’t think of it like that. Although, I have a feeling that no matter what I say will change your mind…”

Ren scoffed emptily, looking back up to Shiho with listless eyes. “You learn quick. I basically failed you. I could have saved you. I could have kept you at school with Ann, where you’d be happy. Instead, you’re at a new school in a new city and your only friend here is so empty inside you’d get a hollow sound if you knocked on my chest.”

Shiho decided to let him finish this time for the sole purpose of him simply just getting it out. It hurt her to hear it, but Ann had mentioned once that Ren was the quiet type. If he had started splurging now, it was a rare opportunity to hear his inner feelings.

“It just doesn’t seem fair to you, you know?” Ren stood up as he talked, and he started pacing in circles in front of her. “You were an innocent who got roped up into this, and I didn’t do my duty as a Phantom Thief to save you. It’s all my fault, and I think apologies aren't even near close enough for what I’ve put you through.”

Shiho chewed her lip, and took a deep breath through her nose. If Ren was going to be like this, then she would need to be just as blunt back.

“Are you finished?”

Ren blinked at her. “Umm… Y-Yes?”

Shiho stood up and took a few steps towards him. Still at an arm’s length apart, but it was about as close as she was willing to get to another male without a negative physical reaction. “What’s in the past is in the past. You can’t change that now. And you shouldn’t beat yourself up about something that you can’t change. Yes, I’m here. Yes, there are rumors about me. Do I like them? Of course not. Would I like to go back where I could spend everyday with Ann? Probably. But… sometimes things don’t work like that.”

She took a step to the side and leaned on an HVAC unit, eyes boring into his. “This is where I am now. It’s by no means ideal, and it probably won’t ever be. But I don’t want to sit here and mope. I went through that physical rehab back in Tokyo, and it was honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But that made me a much stronger person than I used to be, and while the circumstances leading up to that are horrible, you have to take the good with the bad.

“And that brings me to my point. If you want to be friends with me, you need to stop bringing it up. Even if you didn’t save me, it’s not the end of the world. I’m trying to work past that. I still have a lot of baggage, but I’m not going to just stop and stew in it. And you can’t get hung up on my own baggage either. You have your own to worry about.”

She took another deep breath, and closed her eyes, letting the words sink in.

In all honesty, Shiho had no idea if she said the right thing. She was probably the absolute worst person in the world to try to console another person with as much darkness in their heart as she had. And on top of that, she was pretty sure half of what she said was repeating the same thing over and over again. The other half was probably just absolute gibberish.

“I understand…” He finally said, which prompted Shiho to look up at him. And to her relief, he smiled.

“Thank you. I really think I needed to hear that, especially from the source. It brings me at peace to know you’re at peace with it too.”

Shiho shook her head as she sank down the HVAC unit, sitting with her knees tucked under her chin. “I wouldn’t exactly say I’m at peace with everything. I’m still very shy and secluded to people I don’t know, which wasn’t really something I used to be beforehand. Ann always told me that I could be outgoing, confident, mischievous, and even sarcastic when I’m around people I’m comfortable with. And I think that at least right now, that part of me died. It died because I was too scared to open up to anybody here, and it didn’t take long for people to start pushing me away. I guess you could say I lost who I used to be.“

The warning bell signifying the end of lunch rang, but neither of them moved.

“Do you… Do you want to talk about it?” Ren asked softly as he made his way next to her, sitting with his back on the unit while an arm’s length away.

Shiho didn’t reply, and they sat in silence for the next few minutes.

The second bell signifying classes had started rang.

Shiho was staring at the ground, but Ren noticed Morgana peeking over from the top of a ventilator. He shook his head silently, and the cat disappeared from view.

He was almost startled when she suddenly started speaking. “My first week of school, I was hit on by a guy. I did my best to politely decline him, but he persisted…”

Her voice quivered, and she took a breath to steady it. “He suddenly threw his arm around me in a way that Kamoshida did a couple of times… and I just lost it. I… I punched him in the gut and pushed him away. Needless to say, news of that got around quickly, and that action both physically and mentally pushed everybody away from talking to me.”

She tapped her foot to an unknown rhythm as she brought her head out of her knees, instead resting her chin on them. “The school was aware of my situation so they let it slide. But since I didn’t get in trouble, that prompted people to look up my past, which isn’t very hard to find…”

She could hear something akin to a growl coming from Ren, but he didn’t say anything.

“Once people knew my story, I was suddenly shunned for several reasons. Among them are that I was tainted, I was too unstable, I was too withdrawn to talk to anyone…” Her voice trailed off for a few seconds. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I haven’t made any progress since my release from the hospital. You were there with my final conversation with Ann in Tokyo, on Shujin’s roof. I’ve become a stronger person. I’m a little less secluded with people that I know. Actually, I’m curious. You and Ann stayed on the roof after I left, right? Did she say anything to you?”

Ren coughed lightly as he recalled Ann’s love confession to him, and his very awkward way of rejecting her as lightly as he could. “O-Oh, umm, nothing of importance. Please continue.”

Shiho studied his face for a few seconds, as if contemplating challenging him on his credibility, but ultimately decided to continue her own story. “So, here I am now. I’m a little stronger mentally, but not by much. I can have stable conversations and act somewhat normal, but only with people I know. I completely crash and burn in front of people I don’t, especially males. I also haven’t touched or been touched by one ever since... “ She shuddered.

“There’s no need to think of that.” Ren said softly. “But Suzui-san, I-I really appreciate you opening up to me. That takes some serious guts to do.”

She shrugged absently. “Ann trusts you with her life. That tells me all I need to know about you.”

“What do y-you mean?”

She stood up, dusting her skirt off. “It tells me that I can safely open up to you, like how I just did. And… It tells me that hopefully I can rely on you to… help me. And maybe, I can help you too...”

Her last few words were almost a whisper, but Ren heard them. “I’d be happy to help, but I don’t think I’m in a state to. I feel ok right now, but anything can set me off into an emotional dumpster fire.” He gave off a drained laugh. “Probably the only thing I’m capable of in terms of emotional comfort is just hugging somebody, which is useless to you. I’m an absolute mental mess. Are you sure you want to be friends with a mind that went through juvenile hall, police brutality, a year of near death experiences while wielding extreme power, followed by the sudden feeling of losing that power that defined who you became?”

She hugged herself as he got up, standing next to her. “I may be no expert, Amamiya-kun, but if you’re willing to help me, I want to return the favor and help you. It’s what friends do, right?”

He looked at her, for several tense seconds, then finally smiled back at her. “It’s w-what friends do.”

\----------

“Don’t act like we don’t know what you’re doing, bitch.”

Ren and Morgana suddenly stood at attention, sharing a look with each other.

“Doing what? Trying to be nice to the person who saved this country from corruption?”

“That voice… Isn’t it that one girl you met earlier today?” Morgana asked Ren anxiously as he power walked to the edge of an alleyway just a street or two away from Isegawa. Peeking around the edge of a building, he spied 3 boys in a half circle around a girl with long red hair, her back to the wall.

He turned back around the corner, back against the wall. “It’s Yoshizawa-san. What should I do?”

Morgana wiggled in his bag anxiously. “What do you mean, ‘what should I do’? You need to step in and help her!”

“But how?” Ren hissed. “If I do that, I’m just gonna get in trouble again and make my life here more horrible than it already is!”

“And you’re gonna walk away from somebody in need? That’s not the Joker I know!”

Ren glared back at the cat. “The Joker you know died in solitary confinement.”

Morgana was busy thinking of a reply, but unfortunately, Ren was just loud enough to garner the attention of the 3 people he didn’t want to know he was there.

“Oi! Who’s there? Show yourself!”

Ren was about to turn tail and run, but Morgana pushed off his two hind legs to grab Ren by the face. Blue eyes stared into unblinking grey.

“The Joker I know would laugh at the mere thought of solitary confinement when he’s killed a god.”

“Dude, it sounds like it’s just a cat. Let it rest. Now, bitch. Where were we? Why would the so-called savior of Japan be such a worthless looking wimp? I’d like to see him try to steal my-”

The rough boy’s voice was cut short by the unmistakable sound of skin against skin.

Ren went wide-eyed and peeked around the edge of the building to see one of Yoshizawa’s bullies holding his cheek, the girl in question glaring at him.

“I won’t let you talk like that about the person who brought down the most entrenched political conspiracy in Japanese history.” She snarled, unflinching.

One of the other boys sneered. “Hah! Who even cares? In 5 years I bet there’ll be some other bastard who’s just as bad taking his place, and your dead dad can’t do anything to try and stop it this time.”

Ren could see hot tears on the edge of Yoshizawa’s eyes as she balled her hands into fists, but she stood firm against her bullies.

And then, the ringleader who was slapped made his move.

Finally seeming to recover from the initial shock of being struck, he quickly pulled back his fist and let it loose straight into Yoshizawa’s gut.

Ren and Morgana both gasped as Yoshizawa doubled over, seemingly doing her best not to vomit. It didn’t last long however. One of the goon’s lackys held her up, and he brought his fist into the girl again, and this time she painted the concrete with the contents of her lunch before she took a stumbling step away from it before collapsing to the ground.

The sight burned fiercely into Ren’s eyes, and he felt himself starting to shake. Part of him said that this wasn’t his fight. He should just walk away.

Except, it wasn’t. She was standing up for him. The Phantom Thief. The person who she believed carried out a justice that would’ve never been possible.

“... I fucking hate my life.” Ren grumbled as he stepped into the alley, gently setting down his bag next to him so he wouldn’t be constrained. He crossed his arms, then called out to the bullies.

“I’d rather you beat up the real deal as opposed to somebody defenseless, you know.” He did his best trying to stay calm and cool-looking, but he could only imagine how stupid he looked standing there in nothing but his uniform. There was no knife in his pocket. No gun in his holster. No long tailed coat that was accented by red gloves.

But in his heart, he was Joker. And that would be more than enough.

“Although, I’d rather you 3 just leave and we avoid confrontation altogether. But something tells me that’s not going to happen.”

The lead bully turned towards him, his lackeys following suit. “You’re damn right it won’t. You’re no hero. You’re a criminal who just wanted to run around in a bathroom towel and call it a cape. And a criminal like you should be stuck in jail, where you belong.”

Ren was doing his best to steady his breathing, but it was impossible for him not to shake. The thoughts of solitary confinement threatened to consume his mind, and it took all of his willpower and then some to prevent himself from experiencing a traumatic flashback.

Unfortunately, the precious seconds it took to steady himself was also the same amount of time needed for the bullies to encircle him. One of them looked down at his bag to see Morgana glaring up at him.

“Service cat my ass. How did that even get approved in the first place?”

Without warning, he brought his leg back and kicked Ren’s bag hard, Morgana yowling in pain as a result.

That was what made Ren snap.

Before he even realized what he was doing, his instincts commanded his brain. Ren took a single step towards Morgana’s assailant to close the distance and delivered a right uppercut directly into the boy’s nose. He crumpled instantly, blood already starting to leak out. It happened so quickly, Morgana hadn’t even stopped his initial yelping from being kicked.

Turning to the other two, Ren’s voice sounded almost demonic. “Leave. _NOW_.”

The two remaining bullies shared a look, before picking up their unconscious friend and hightailing it out of the alley while muttering, “You’re gonna pay for this, criminal.”

Ren first knelt down next to Morgana and was about to ask his status, but he was interrupted as the cat spoke between coughs. “Looking cool, Joker! Nothing’s broken - I’m just a bit winded. It’ll take more than that to take me down.”

He took that as an invitation to check on the other unfortunate victim and rushed over to her. She had gotten on her hands and knees, gasping for air while staring at the ground, apparently completely unaware of the situation that unfolded.

“Are you ok, Yoshizawa-san? Do you think you can stand?”

She looked up at him with fire in her ruby red eyes, which immediately died upon seeing who he actually was.

“Oh, Amamiya-senpai… I… did you…” She gasped between heavy breaths. Ren held up a hand, silencing her.

“They’re gone now, don’t worry. Do you think you can stand, or walk?”

She nodded wordlessly, still catching her breath.

“Perfect. You think you can make it to the shrine park?”

“Yes… Let’s go.”

\----------

Fortunately, the park that housed the shrine in question was only two blocks away. They crossed the gates and sat on the nearest bench Ren could find before he handed her a bottle of water. She drank from it greedily, sometimes using it to gargle her mouth to get rid of the traces of vomit.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before she spoke up. “I’m sorry, all that gargling wasn’t very ladylike of me.”

Ren snorted, but smiled. “I don’t mind. L-Ladylike isn’t exactly a word that fits in my dictionary. All my friends that are girls could probably kill me if they wanted to.”

Yoshizawa’s eyes went wide. “They can? Are you talking about the female Phantom Thieves that were shown in Shido’s calling card?”

Ren nodded. “Yup. Th-They’re a scary bunch.”

“Wow, they sound so cool! I wish I could meet them someday!” She said while smiling. Ren leaned back on the bench, looking up at the sky.

“Sorry, but I’m not giving away th-the identities of my friends. I don’t want them to... g-go through the same thing I am.”

Her smile faded as she shifted to a more serious tone. “Oh, I wasn’t asking you to, don’t worry. I respect your privacy. That, and… I’m sure you’re going through a lot right now.”

“That’s an u-understatement.”

They fell back into a slightly awkward silence, which thankfully didn’t last long when Yoshizawa’s phone rang. She took it out and looked briefly at it before standing up hastily.

“Oh, it’s my sister! I apologize, but I’m late to practice. I’ll be on my way now.”

Ren hummed in acknowledgement. “Do you want me to walk you to practice?”

Yoshizawa shook her head. “Oh, no, I should be fine now. I only ran into trouble back there because I overheard them speaking badly of you, and I spoke up myself.”

“...I appreciate it, but please don’t put yourself in that position again. Promise?”

She stood in front of him, and bowed. “I promise, senpai. Thank you again, and I hope to see you soon!”

With that, she headed down to the entrance to the shrine, and disappeared from sight.

“...Hey.”

“Yeah, Morgana?”

“I’m glad you stepped in. Even if it was brief, the old you shone brightly. Your stuttering even stopped again. I hope we can get you back to that point.”

“...Y-Yeah, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, those of you wondering how Ren knew Sumire while the other PTs don't in TWaM? Here's your answer! Things are changed around in this universe, which I think actually fits pretty well. The P5 canon doesn't have the Yoshizawas in it, so this is a pretty effective way to include them seamlessly (in my humble opinion).
> 
> There's a couple of big differences with their existence in this universe, though. The first big and obvious one is her father died at the hands of Shido, which she explicitly mentioned. Since it was so long ago, she has already moved past the grieving period. The second was in the form of a small little hint she dropped at the end of the chapter. She also seems to be a lot more bubbly than her normal self, but that's because Sumire likes to hide her depression beneath a mask (heh). As she and Ren become closer (not a spoiler since TWaM plainly shows they're quite close), Sumire will open up in her own ways.
> 
> Oh, and on Ren's stuttering. I know it's not in character, but that's exactly what having all of your confidence stripped away from you can do. It's implied by Morgana's constant reminders of his stutter that he's working on it, but it isn't something that can be fixed overnight. As a stutter induced by trauma does, it kicks in when he's being reserved and talking with other people (Though he has a better grip on it around Morgana, who he trusts completely. Trauma stutters can disappear with somebody you trust), although it can all but vanish when his mind becomes focused on something. It's almost like your brain forgets that it needs to stutter. Interesting stuff, huh?


	3. Back-to-Back Panic Attacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: panic attacks (duh), and child abuse.

Ren immediately realized something was wrong when he got to his shoe locker the next day.

“Uh, why is there tape around the edges of your locker?” Morgana cocked his head to the side, eyeing Ren’s shoe locker cautiously. The boy didn’t say anything, instead moving a hand up to peel the layer of tape covering the bottom edge of his locker…

Which caused him to jump back in surprise as water bled out the bottom edge, dripping down the lockers below him.

“What the…” Morgana muttered, narrowing his eyes. “Did somebody fill your locker with water? How does that even work?”

“I guess they taped the edges, and forced water through the air vent at the top…” Ren grumbled, sighing as he peeled off the other strips of tape. Lastly, he stepped to the side as he opened his locker, water rushing out where he stood before, along with his school shoes.

Ren sagged his shoulders, staring defeatedly at his completely waterlogged shoes that he was supposed to wear the entire day. And much to Morgana’s initial surprise, followed by protesting, Ren glumly slid on the soaked shoes, shivering at the feeling.

“I can’t believe you’re seriously wearing that! Why would you- hey look, it’s Suzui!”

He looked up in time to see Shiho stepping through the front doors of the school, looking at the ground as she walked. It was only once she got past the second set of doors that she looked up to see Ren staring back at her. Smiling weakly, she made her way over to him.

“Good morning, Amamiya-kun. What...exactly happened here? Why is there so much water?”

“Some jokers thought it was funny to flood his locker, the nerve!” Morgana scowled, completely forgetting Shiho wouldn’t be able to understand him.

“Oh, do you mind translating for me, Amamiya-kun?”

Ren repeated what Morgana said verbatim, which made Shiho giggle of all things while she opened her own locker, which was in the set across from him. “Your cat is a feisty one, isn’t he?”

Ren shrugged absent-mindedly. “Y-Yeah, I suppose so…”

Shiho slid on her shoes silently, feeling guilty for something as simple as putting on dry shoes. If she was the same size as him, maybe she could have offered to switch pairs...

“Well, we s-should probably get to class.” The boy nearly whispered.

Shiho chewed on her lip and nodded as the two set off together for their classroom…

_Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch…_

Ren didn’t think it was possible for his shoulders to sag even lower while the two of them wordlessly made their way to class, the snickers of fellow students surrounding them.

\----------

Several hours and a few paper towel-filled trips to the bathroom later, Ren’s shoes seemed to make little progress in drying up. On top of that, his soaked feet felt like he was standing in snow. Whoever filled his locker with water clearly kept it in an ice bath for a while.

The second Ren and Shiho made it to their usual lunch spot on the school rooftop, the boy grabbed his shoes and yanked them off. They had stopped dripping with water, but the humiliating _squelching_ noise that resounded with each step hadn’t ceased. Neither had the harsh cold feeling in his feet.

Ren held his shoes in his hand for a few seconds, staring at them intensely. Shiho was about to pull him out of his stupor with a question, but jumped backward in surprise when Ren threw them with all his strength into the nearest HVAC unit with an angry scream. The loud ring made both of them wince, but Shiho immediately realized she fared better between the two.

As the harsh ringing sound died down, Ren dropped to his knees, clutching his ears. He began to shiver violently, and his breaths grew quicker and quicker.

Shiho began to panic herself. She had experienced her share of panic attacks, but she never was around when someone else was going through one. And it would’ve gotten worse had a black blur not jumped out of Ren’s bag and into her chest, forcing her to quickly grab Morgana before he fell. He was meowing at her frantically, and while he didn’t understand him, the message was clear.

She rushed to stand in front of Ren and knelt down so their heads were level. After letting go of Morgana, the cat did his best to try to wiggle his way into Ren’s lap, but he was too hunched over to allow the space. Even with pawing at his arms, Morgana wasn’t making any progress.

_Deep breaths. You can do this. Just… First thing to do is ground him._ Shiho slowed her own breathing first, then reached out a very shaky hand towards her panicked friend.

Ren flinched violently at the moment Shiho’s hand landed on his shoulder, and she almost pulled her hand away as a result. Instead, she opted to lighten the force of her hand, rubbing his shoulder.

_Ok, I need to say something. Think, girl, think. Loud sounds… maybe solitary confinement? Should I tell him he’s safe? That might be it…_

“A-Amamiya-kun, it’s me, Shiho. Y-You’re safe, you’re not in solitary confinement anymore. You’re at school, on the rooftop, and we’re going to enjoy a nice and peaceful lunch.”

Ren didn’t make much of a response, but he did look up at Shiho’s face. His face was red and wet, his eyes bloodshot. There was nothing but terror within them, so fierce and strong and palpable that Shiho could almost feel what he had gone through herself. Taking another deep breath, she willed herself to carry on.

“Shhh, shhh… I’m here, and you’re safe. It’s ok, you’re safe. You’re safe, Amamiya-kun…”

His breathing slowed slightly, but it was still heavy. The terror in his eyes was a little less clear. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was very shaky mumbling.

The standard procedure for a panic attack was to do those exercises where a person names the things around them, according to their senses. Shiho had used that tactic many times, but what are you supposed to do when the person having a panic attack was too gone for words?

Well, there’s one thing I could do, but… No. I… I have to do this. Be strong, Shiho. Do this for Ann. Do it for Amamiya-kun.

Shiho’s arms left Ren’s shoulders and stretched out, but you’d have to be blind to miss how badly her arms were shaking. Very slowly, she wrapped them around Ren’s shaking form, and brought his head to her upper chest, well out of the way of touching her in places she would be much too uncomfortable with.

This was the first time she had voluntarily touched a man since the incident, after all.

Shiho lost track of time. Her mind was racing, yet at the same time completely empty. A few minutes later, she felt herself shaking just as hard as Ren was. Her breath was speeding up. Her eyes began to dart back and forth, within their closed eyelids. It was becoming too much. Sensory overload. Touching people. Trapped. His arms were around her. Crying. Struggling. Useless. There was only shame only fear _onlyhorroronlylossonlyAnn **onlydeath-**_

Silence.

Her mind went from coming dangerously close to a genuine panic attack to zero yet again when she felt arms wrap around her back. But unlike his arms, they were gentle. Soft. Almost inviting, even. Shiho opened her eyes, and remembered where she was. Remembered that she wasn’t in that horrible PE faculty office that continued to haunt her dreams without end.

Ren was still nestled in her upper chest, but his arms had cautiously snaked around her back to hug her in the least romantically-inclined place possible. A hug around the center of one’s back was innocent. There weren’t hands on her waist, daring to move lower. There weren’t arms around her neck, trying to pull her in. These were hands that were trying their best to keep her calm, because his own mouth was as shaky as hers and the two of them were utter and complete messes - words would be out of the question at this point. No, these arms around her were comforting. They were Ren’s. Somebody who her best friend would trust with her life without hesitation.

And somebody who she could call her friend, too.

She leaned into Ren, and allowed her tears to fall in front of someone else for the first time in a long while.

\----------

Ren had no idea when he had fallen asleep, but the sound of the first bell woke him with a start.

“Oh, you’re awake…”

He looked to his side to see Shiho sitting next to him, in the middle of eating her lunch. Morgana was laying at his side with his eyes closed, but his ears seemed attentive.

“I… f-fell asleep?”

Shiho nodded slowly. “I guess that noise brought up some… not great memories. It seemed you were so stressed, you just shut down…”

Ren didn’t say anything in response, his stare directed at the ground.

Noticing that wasn’t going to get anywhere, Shiho tried a different approach. “Umm, at least eat something, Amamiya-kun.”

His shoulders drooped. “I’m not hungry.” He stated plainly.

Shiho looked at the downcast teen for a few seconds.

“Ren.”

He blinked, looking up and at her, which caused something to click in her head.

“You… don’t like your last name anymore, do you?”

“...I d-don’t.”

“Did they call you by your last name when you were in juvie?”

“Yup. It kind of ruined it for me, I guess. H-Heh.”

“So, I’ll just call you Ren from now on. Is that ok?”

“Sure.”

“Good.” Shiho replied as she got up, dusting herself off. She picked up her half-eaten lunch and put it away, sighing. “We’ll have to finish our lunch after school. Do you think you’re ok enough to go back to class?

Ren roughly rubbed his hands into his face in an attempt to bring himself back to the land of the non-panicked attacked and stress-induced sleep people. “Sure thing. And I know I keep saying this, but thanks, Shiho.” With one push off the floor, he was standing up, eye level with the girl.

Shiho felt herself blush slightly at hearing her first name used without an honorific, but pushed the feeling aside. She was going to have to get used to it; it seemed the two were on a first-name basis now. “You’re welcome. And don’t worry about your shoes. I dried them while you rested by heating them in front of one of the exhaust vents.”

She handed him his shoes, which he realized were still warm to the touch from the heat of the exhaust vent.

“I appreciate it.” Ren said in reply as he removed the still wet socks from his feet, balling them up and tossing them from range into a trash can. He stuck his now dry shoes onto his feet and sighed happily - he was starting to get some feeling back in his feet already.

The second bell rang when they started their trek back, but both of them were in higher spirits than when they originally came up for lunch.

\----------

“Amamiya-kun? Do you mind if I speak with you for a moment?”

Ren and Shiho stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of Principal Ine calling out to him. The pair had just made it to the shoe lockers and almost to the safety that was outside the school, causing Ren to hesitate going in either direction.

Morgana seemed to sense it, popping his head out of the bag. “There’s no need to be afraid, this guy likes you. Let’s just play along for now and see what he wants.”

His advice was heeded wordlessly as his carrier stepped back into the school hallway, following the principal down the hall to his office. A quick glance back over his shoulder showed Shiho leaning against a wall, on her phone. She looked up, noticed him, and gave a small reassuring smile that seemed to say _I’ll be here when you’re done._

He found it extremely comforting.

“Don’t worry, Amamiya-kun.” Ine said, jolting his attention back to the man ahead of him. “I won’t keep you long from Suzui-san.”

“Oh, i-it’s no trouble” He said timidly, following the principal into his office.

“Suzui-san is very quiet and keeps to herself, so I’m glad she found a friend in you, and you in her.” He sat down into his chair behind a very modest desk; Kobyakawa would probably ask for something twice the size while whining it was to help the image of the school. “You two both transferred from Shujin. Did you know each other beforehand?”

Very unpleasant memories flashed through Ren’s head. “...Briefly.”

Ine seemed to take the hint. “Well, I’m glad you two are becoming friends now. But moving past that, Amamiya-kun, I need to speak with you about something I heard you did yesterday.”

Ren tensed up immediately, and Morgana set his previously wondering eyes on the principal’s.

Ine took the lack of a response as an invitation to continue. “I take it you didn’t mercilessly beat up three of our students until they were all knocked out, and took all their money?”

“Of course not!” He said back a little too hotly. Morgana meowed softly and headbutted his side, encouraging him to take a deep breath and restart. “S-Sorry... It’s not entirely true. After school yesterday, I saw three s-students bullying a second year. They were... punching her to the point of her throwing up. I stepped in, a-asked them to get lost, and one of them kicked my cat in response... I defended Morgana and punched him back. It… knocked him out, and the other two ran away.”

Ine stared at the ceiling for several seconds, taking it all in. “I understand. Now, not that I don’t believe you, but do you know who the second year was? If she can verify your story, then we can avoid the charges that are being pressed against you for breaking the other student’s nose.”

A lump rose in Ren’s throat, and for a short while, he couldn’t speak. Charges? A broken nose? He knew he punched pretty hard, but he didn’t expect to actually break that student’s nose...

“Amamiya-kun?”

“I… I didn’t…” He finally managed, as weak as it sounded. He was just happy to say something, in all honesty.

“I know you didn’t mean to - you were just protecting someone else. But I need the name of that second year.”

“I-It was… Sumire Yoshizawa, I think.”

Ine blinked. “Yoshizawa-san? They were bullying her?”

“...That wasn’t bullying. That was assault.” His voice was low.

Ine cocked his lips, and sighed. “I suppose… But it would be up to Yoshizawa-san if she wants to press any charges to classify it as an actual assault case. But that’s besides the point. I didn’t expect Yoshizawa-san to get caught up in something like this?”

Ren shot him a questioning look.

“Ah, right. Sumire and Kasumi Yoshizawa are sisters, both honor students in their second year. You would have missed their first year since you were in Tokyo. The two of them are incredible at rhythmic gymnastics, and are considered some of the best athletes in the school. They’re here on scholarship.”

“I see…”

“So, that’s why I’m surprised to hear Yoshizawa-san got into trouble like so. Students normally stay away from her, whether it be because they don’t want to associate themselves with honor students, or because they’re just flat out scared of her. ”

Ren scowled in a form of defiance; something that was rare of him to do this day in age. “That d-doesn’t surprise me. Us outcasts are t-treated like dirt.”

Ine nodded solemnly. “I’m aware, but unfortunately there’s so much influence I have over a school that loves to gossip and partake in petty pranks. Not that I consider yesterday’s event a prank, but it’s the first time something like this has ever happened.”

He didn’t get a response from the teen, so he stood up. “Well, I’ll get in touch with Yoshizawa-san and ask her to recount the events. I don’t want you getting into trouble unfairly. But, Amamiya-kun, I ask that you be more careful from now on. I know you have a very strong sense of justice instilled in you, but I can’t protect you from everything. Please be very cautious from here on out.”

Ren nodded.

“...Well, if that’s it, I’ll allow you to get back to Suzui-san. I apologize for taking your time.”

“D-Don’t worry about it, Ine-san.”

Once Ren left the room, Ine slumped back down into his chair. He placed his palms on his face and rubbed up and down in an attempt to ground himself a little.

“Amamiya-kun, I hope I don’t have to see you in here again. You don’t deserve this…”

\----------

Shiho looked up from her position on the wall to see Ren making his way towards her, his head down low. She had sunk down to the floor so she didn’t have to stand while she waited - she already had a long commute ahead of her that consisted of being upright.

“That took longer than I thought it would. Is everything ok?” She asked when he was within earshot of her, her head tilting slightly.

Morgana meowed angrily (She still had to guess the tone of Morgana’s meows, but she felt like she was getting the hang of it.), and Ren gave him a sharp glare. “He did all he c-could do, there’s no reason to be mad at him about it.”

More angry meowing ensued.

“Even if he has power here, he can’t just straight-up censor people. A-And he definitely can’t do anything with concerns outside of the school. He’s doing a huge favor for m-me right now.”

The meowing was more subdued this time.

“Yeah, I know.” Then he turned to Shiho. “Sorry about that. To answer your question, It’s… an annoying situation.”

Shiho’s expression started out as confused, but it turned to anger as Ren finished up catching her up to speed with yesterday’s events (although he refrained from using Yoshizawa’s name for privacy reasons), as well as what was told to him in the principal’s office.

“I can’t believe some people… Everything you’ve done and they still treat you like a criminal?”

Ren just shrugged in response, moving over to his shoe locker to exchange shoes.

“Um… Are you really going to put your shoes back in your locker, after what happened today?” Shiho raised an eyebrow, confusion on her face.

Oh, right. The whole water thing.

“Oh, yeah. I guess I could put them in my bag…” He mumbled, starting to open his bag wide to fit them in with Morgana, who was beginning to complain.

Without much hesitation, Shiho walked over and snatched Ren’s shoes out of his hand. “Give me those.”

“H-Hey! What are you-”

He cut his voice off when he realized what she was doing. Shiho walked back over to her locker, threw his shoes inside, and shut the door. “We normally arrive at school around the same time, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. And I’m sure you’d prefer your shoes to stay dry, right?”

Ren sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of his neck. “I-I suppose so… Thanks, Shiho.”

Her reciprocating smile shone in a rare instance of brightness that made his day.

\----------

Since Ren and Shiho lived on opposite sides of the city, their commute to school together could only consist of the few minutes it took to get to the nearest train station. Unfortunately for Ren, that now also took him down memory lane.

Despite him serving up justice to Yoshizawa’s bullies in the alleyway the two of them were just passing, Ren couldn’t stop his stomach churning from the event. Not that he regretted it - not in the slightest. _(Good to see I still have some sense of justice, at least)_ No, what he was afraid of was the retaliation those bullies promised him. He had a feeling it would encompass more than just filling his locker with water, and Ine had told him to be careful with what he does when it comes to self-defense.

As they passed by the shrine park he and Yoshizawa sat in yesterday, Shiho spoke up. “Oh, why don’t we finish our food in the park, Ren? It should be nice and calm there.”

“Sure.” He shrugged, following in the other’s footsteps. “I just… hope w-we don’t run into any trouble here.”

Shiho slowed her pace so Ren could catch up with her before walking at equal speeds. “I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that. Everyone at school avoids this park like the plague for some reason.”

As they crossed the threshold into the park, Ren opened his bag and Morgana jumped out, disappearing into the bushes to explore. Just before he did so, he cast a knowing nod towards his owner.

Turning back to the conversation, some semblance clicked for Ren. “Oh, right. I think I remember now. This park is said to be haunted, or s-something like that. P-People have even claimed to see ghosts, even during the day.”

Shiho giggled as the two of them sat down on a different bench from where Ren and Yoshizawa sat yesterday (much to Ren’s relief). “You say that so casually. Wouldn’t a ghost who also haunts during the day be a pretty big deal? You don’t hear stories like that very often.”

Ren smirked, leaning back into the bench. “With what I’ve seen, a ghost haunting people in daytime is small talk.”

It was supposed to be a lighthearted quip, but Shiho’s smile fell. “It’s unfair, you know. You shouldn’t have had to go through what you did last year. Nobody should.”

Shiho’s face turned to one of confusion at Ren’s scoff. “It was stressful, sure, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I-I felt like I was making a difference, because I was making a difference. I want to be a politician in an attempt to make this country a better place, but I know for a f-fact that I will never be able to accomplish as much as I did last year.”

“Huh… I guess I never thought of it that way. Ann made it sound like it was a fight for your life ever since April.”

“In some ways, it was. But it was thrilling. I never felt more alive than I did in the Metave-” His eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

“The Meta-what? Is that the parallel dimension you would go to?” Shiho asked, tilting her head slightly.

Ren sighed, knowing the jig was up. “You’re not supposed to know that, but seeing how I already screwed up, may as well. We went to a place called the M-Metaverse. But I’m not going to tell you any more than that.”

“That’s fair. If something like that were to become public knowledge, people would freak out.” Shiho said as she pulled her half-eaten lunch out, opening the container of fried rice to finish.

“It would, but it doesn’t exist anymore. To make a long story short, me s-saving the world resulted in it disappearing.” Ren replied as he took out his own uneaten lunch of curry.

“I see. That covers up your tracks, I guess.”

Ren wordlessly nodded as they dug into their lunches.

As per usual, the two were silent as they finished their food. It wasn’t until Ren clapped twice, signaling to Morgana, that he spoke up.

“H-Hey, why did you hug me?”

Shiho’s eyes went wide, and the color flushed from her cheeks a touch. “What do you mean?”

Morgana came trotting up to the two, and Ren opened the bag for him to hop back in. “On the roof, during my panic attack, or PTSD episode, or w-whatever you want to call it. You hugged me to calm me down, but you said physical touch was really hard for you. S-So, why did you do it?”

“...You were suffering, and nothing I was doing was working. I wanted to help, so I did.” Her voice was soft and shy, but stoic. It was as if she knew she was speaking with purpose.

“Even if it would make you p-panic yourself?”

Shiho played with a strand of hair next to her ear. “In hindsight, it wasn’t the best idea. But, you calmed me down. It was rough, but... your hug taught me that not…” She breathed out a sigh. “That not every man is like him.”

The pure venom she put in that last word did not go unnoticed to Ren, and he had no idea how to respond to it.

His friend seemed to realize it, so she continued speaking instead. “Sorry. But, you know, maybe it’s for the best. Even if it’s only a small increase, I feel more comfortable around you because of it. Confronting inner demons, and all that.”

Ren couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.

“What did I say that was funny? I’m being serious.”

“Sorry, it’s just it’s k-kinda ironic. Since I used to, you know…”

It clicked for Shiho. “Oh, right. I guess you can take that literally. Changing people’s hearts in that Metaverse place was something similar to confronting inner demons?”

“Y-Yeah, basically. You see people’s true, unmasked feelings that are normally stored d-deep within their heart. As much as I did enjoy it, I’ve… seen some things I wish I could unsee.”

“I see… Pun not intended.” She said with an empty laugh. “So… is it ok if I ask you something?”

Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Umm… I’m not sure if this is how it works, but did you ever see _his_ feelings about me when you changed _his_ heart?”

Morgana, who had been politely silent until now, nudged Ren’s stomach. “Hey, I don’t think she’s in a state of mind to hear the answer to that.”

Even if he did want to respond, Ren couldn’t find his voice to give her an answer. He stared down at the ground, chewing on his cheek so hard he swore he could taste blood.

“...I’ll take that silence as a yes. Was it… bad?”

Realizing this could only end in another breakdown for Ren, Shiho, or even the both of them, Morgana hopped out of Ren’s bag and into Shiho’s lap, pawing at her stomach.

“Hmm? What is it, Morgana?”

The cat brought a paw up to his neck and did his best to imitate the universal sign of shaking a hand in front of your neck. “C’mon, take the hint…”

“You… want me to stop talking?”

“Ugh, this is annoying…” Morgana muttered as he shook his head.

Shiho tilted her head. “So I should continue to talk about it? But why did you paw me in the first place?”

Morgana set a paw on his forehead, his head shaking again.

“Oh, you want me to drop the subject?”

“Ah, that’s it!” Morgana meowed in victory and nodded his head.

“I see…” She looked at Ren, who was still staring at the ground. “I guess the both of you saw some stuff you don’t want to remember, huh?”

Shiho returned her attention to the cat in her lap to see him nodding in affirmation. “Oh, I see… I hope that one day, you two will be strong enough to tell me. I feel like I need to know, as a way to help me move past it, you know?”

Morgana tilted his head in thought, before agreeing with a nod. The cat then turned to Ren, who finally brought his attention to his feline companion. “We’ll tell her one day, Ren. When you’re ready.”

“Yeah… I-I suppose we will.”

\----------

“I’m home.”

Ren’s quiet voice resonated through an even quieter house, which put him on edge. Normally at least the TV would be running in the background, but instead he was greeted with silence. So when he heard a response, it caused him to nearly jump out of his skin.

“Get your ass in here right now, criminal.”

Ren and Morgana shared a look of pure dread, the boy subconsciously gripping onto Morgana’s neck fur to ground himself.

“I’m here for you,” the cat whispered. “Just keep your cool, Joker.”

The teen only found the strength to nod back as he walked into the living room, where his father was waiting for him in front of a muted TV. His mom was nowhere to be seen.

“H-Hey, dad. Y-You’re home e-early.”

Kazuo Amamiya was not a big man, by any means, but he knew how to tower over his son in the ways that made the once-prideful Phantom Thief shrink back with caution.

“I’m home early because I got a call from Isegawa that you broke a fellow student’s nose.”

Ren groaned inwardly. Of _course_ they would phone his parents. “D-Dad, they were b-beating u-up a student, I-”

He was cut short by the unmistakable sound of skin against skin.

“I don’t care what they were doing, you leave it be. You aren’t some vigilante; it’s time to stop acting like it.”

Ren clutched the side of his face his father slapped him, the harsh sting nowhere close to fading. “O-Ok…”

Kazuo pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing harshly. “As if I didn’t have enough to deal with already when your son was the leader of a no-good criminal group… You don’t need to make our reputation any worse around here. Now get out of my sight, I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night. That includes dinner.”

Morgana looked like he wanted to say something, but Ren squeezed the back of his neck as a means of keeping him quiet. He wordlessly turned his back on his dad and trudged out of the living room, making his way up the steps to his room.

“God, I just can’t understand how horrible your own dad is to you…” Morgana growled lowly, jumping onto Ren’s bed once he shut and locked the door. Fortunately, he already seemed to be calming down - this room definitely did have a very soft spot in Ren’s heart.

Meanwhile, Ren reached under his bed, pulling out a hidden stash of energy bars. It took a few seconds for Morgana to realize the implications behind it, and he didn’t like what that meant.

“Wait a second. This… isn’t the first time it’s happened to you, is it?”

The boy flopped back into the beanbag as he unwrapped one of the two bars he grabbed. “...I-Is it that obvious?”

“It’s very obvious. You seem so nonchalant about being sent to your room while told you can’t have dinner…”

Ren merely shrugged, biting into the first bar. “It’s been a thing for… for as long as I remember. It’s why I bought all those energy bars with my own money the other day when we went to the grocery.”

“And you’re just ok with all of this?”

“...”

“Ren?”

“...Is it bad that I am?”

Morgana hopped off the bed, stretching. “Of course it’s bad! You’re being treated like dirt! Why didn’t you tell any of us you were coming home to an abusive family?”

Ren did his best to avoid Morgana’s piercing gaze.

“Ren, c’mon, listen to me. We changed the hearts of parents just like yours. You didn’t realize your parents were also at fault? Why didn’t you ever bring it up? We could have changed their hearts, but now it’s too late!”

“I didn’t bring it up because I didn’t think it was worth it.” The teen sighed, taking another bite of his bar. “Before going to Tokyo, I didn’t know any better. B-But… Well, that doesn’t matter now. Once I graduate from high school, I can move to Tokyo full time, live off of the absurd amount of money I have saved away, and never think of my parents again. I just have to s-survive this year, and then I’m set.”

Morgana was starting to get more annoyed by the second. “But it’s a whole year! It’s not even been a month yet, and you’re already getting abused…”

“...Morgana, it’s ok. I c-can take it.”

“But it’s not ok, Ren.” Morgana’s voice had done a complete 180 as he slid up next to his friend, snuggling into his side on the bean bag. The two of them sat in an uncomfortable silence - Ren didn’t want to reply, and Morgana didn’t want to speak up again.

It was several minutes before the boy finally said something. “There’s a reason I was never treated well. A reason why I just accepted it all.”

Fear crept into Morgana’s voice that he tried to beat back down. He was afraid of the answer, but he couldn’t help himself from asking. “Why…?”

Ren took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if he was accepting some unknown fate.

“I… was an u-unwanted pregnancy.”

“...Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this story, but damn, it can be rough to write sometimes. Brings up some memories of my own I would rather keep down, but in all honesty it's a really good way to confront them.
> 
> These author's notes from now on are going to be pretty short. This is a serious fic that touches upon serious themes. Aside from asking that everyone who reads this stays safe and get help if you think you're in a bad spot, there's not much else to say.


	4. Three's a Crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Depictions of self-harm.

Sumire Yoshizawa thought she was very good at putting up a facade.

The girl normally tried to keep a positive outward appearance, but what people didn’t see underneath was something she desperately feared. She hated that she kept her bag close to her at all times to hide the antidepressants within that she had to take at regular intervals. She hated that her sister always seemed to show her up when it came to gymnastics. It was a constant reminder of what Sumire was not, and Kasumi’s frequent encouragement could be passed off as cynical in her mind - as much as she knew it wasn’t. She hated that she was inferior. And she hated the fact that she hated herself for it.

Yes, it was very fair to say that Sumire had plenty of her own inner demons, self-loathing, and depression. And that was how she was able to clock Ren Amamiya’s troubles so easily, along with that one girl Suzui that he hangs out with during school. She had only met Suzui briefly a few times in the hallways, and once walking home, but the evidence was there. However, the two of them had each other to rely on, it seemed.

Sumire desperately wished to be in Suzui’s position. She wanted to be close to Amamiya. She wanted to get to know him, his troubles, and be able to share her own. But he was a very secluded person, just like she was. She didn’t blame him for it, but still, she couldn’t refrain herself from wishing she was at least given a chance. Hell, she would even give up a fair amount to have Suzui as a friend, too.

_Or… I just want a good friend who I can talk to, for that matter..._

It also didn’t help that she was tired, waking up earlier than usual to give a testimony to Principal Ine on Amamiya’s behalf. It only added to the slogginess as she left the office, making her way back to her shoe locker on autopilot.

Sighing, Sumire let her head drop into her shoe locker with an unplanned hard _thud_. And, to her surprise, she found the resulting dull pain to be… enjoyable. It took her attention off of the malicious self-hatred that often plagued her mind.

The redhead took a look around her. She was at school very early in the morning, having to come in at the principal’s request to give yet another reccountance of her and Amamiya’s troubles they ran into a couple days ago, hopefully for the last time. Confirming that the halls were indeed empty, Sumire carefully removed her glasses, lifted her head from her shoe locker, then brought it back down.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. _THUD. **THUD.**_

The last one was harder than the rest, leaving her dizzy. But... it felt good, as much as she didn’t want to admit it. The pain was something that she inflicted on herself; something that she had complete control over, and something that caused adrenaline to rush through her veins. It was a pleasure that was separate from gymnastics, and separate from her sister that she was so jealous of.

Sumire wanted to do it again, but ultimately opted to sink down to the ground while cradling her head, waiting for the dizzy spell to pass.

“Yoshizawa-san?”

Sumire felt herself jump in surprise, but she couldn’t fully comprehend it due to the dizziness. She shook her head in a feeble attempt to get a grasp of herself, and turned towards the source of the voice. She was worried if the person had seen her, but that worry died a little when Sumire realized who was there.

“Oh... Good morning, Suzui-senpai.”

“Um… is everything ok? You’re clutching your forehead.”

“I-I’m fine, Suzui-senpai. Don’t worry about me.”

Suzui studied her for a few seconds, then looked at Sumire’s locker. Her eyes widened. “Yoshizawa-san, is that blood on your locker?”

Looking up, Sumire was horrified to see a small splash of blood in the middle of her locker. _Did I… hit the locker that hard? I don’t want to bleed, but… I want to do that again…_

“Um, Yoshizawa-san? Say something, please.” Suzui had moved next to her, kneeling down so the two were eye-level, but Sumire was still turned towards the locker. The redhead felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I promise I won’t get mad or tell anybody about this.”

That got Sumire’s attention. She turned around to look at Suzui. “You promise?”

At Suzui’s nod, Sumire very slowly brought down the hand that had been on her forehead since her dizzy spell started, which revealed a small red splotch in the middle of her palm.

Embarrassment flooded through the gymnast, to the point that she just wanted to push Suzui down, and run as far away from the school as she could. A girl she barely knew had caught her at one of her most vulnerable moments. Sumire found that to be the worst case scenario - if it was somebody who she didn’t know, they at least wouldn’t bother her about it. However, this was somebody she thought of befriending. What would Suzui think of her now?

“Let’s get this cleaned up, Yoshizawa-san. Stay here; I’ll be right back with some paper towels.”

...Sumire wasn’t expecting that sort of kindness from Suzui. She expected the other girl to back off and leave her alone, like the others who discovered the emotional baggage behind the gymnast. She looked up to give her thanks, but noticed that Suzui had already left for the bathroom.

Another sigh escaped Sumire as she cradled her head in her hands, beginning to fully realize the gravity of the situation those last several minutes had become.

\----------

Shiho suspected Yoshizawa was somewhat depressed, but what she witnessed that morning was straight up horrifying to watch.

She had met Yoshizawa in earnest once before; it was a few days ago, perhaps a day or two after Ren’s locker had been flooded. Yoshizawa didn’t say much, but Shiho was able to discern some of the telling signs of sadness, or maybe even depression. Yoshizawa was a peppy person on the surface, but she looked uncomfortable while doing so. The niceness was definitely not faked, but the sad tones that preceded her words weren’t unnoticed. And during one conversation where the two girls and Ren briefly discussed Yoshizawa’s gymnastics, it was clear as day to see the lack of self-worth the redhead gave herself, despite her high skill level.

But seeing Yoshizawa bash her head into her shoe locker, even to the point of drawing blood, was the most telltale sign one could ever get. Self harm was a technique saved for those who had little else to turn to in times of sadness. Sumire Yoshizawa had to be depressed.

One of the damp paper towels Shiho grabbed for Yoshizawa was used to rub her own face instead in an attempt to calm down. Self harm was not something Shiho herself had resorted to in the past; she had experienced more than enough pain after her suicide attempt. But she knew about it, and the rush it would bring. She also knew it was a temporary solution, and a very self-destructive one to boot.

But perhaps the worst realization was that at that moment just a few minutes ago, Yoshizawa reminded Shiho of Ren. Was he doing the same thing as well? The way Yoshizawa was acting just then was very reminiscent of Ren’s regular depressed, closed-off mood…

Shiho brushed the thought aside, despite initial hesitation to. Yoshizawa was in a bad place, and Shiho had extended her hand. She couldn’t abandon her now.

_And who knows, maybe we’ll find another friend to add to our depressed ranks…_

Shiho’s attempt at a joke didn’t make herself feel any better.

\----------

Sumire almost ran away from her locker.

She had stood up, leaning against the line of lockers behind her, trying to steady herself. She wasn’t sure if she was more shaken up by the dizziness, or the fact that she caused herself to bleed. Either way, both of those scenarios made her want to just… escape. To just get out of there as quickly as possible, so Suzui wouldn’t see her when she was so weak. It was only a matter of time until she would bring it up to Amamiya, and then surely he would look down on her… He had a real reason for his depression; she was certain juvenile hall was not kind to him. But herself, on the other hand...

How could a gymnast who’s just sad because her sister is better than her possibly relate to the leader of the Phantom Thieves? He would surely be mad at her for thinking she came somewhat close to what he went through. _Ugh, I’m so stupid for eve-_

“Yoshizawa-san, where are you going?”

Sumire blinked. She didn’t even realize she was starting to make her way towards the front entrance to the school.

“O-Oh! I apologize, Suzui-san, I just…” She paused, sagged her shoulders, and took a deep breath. “I didn’t want you to see me like this. I look pathetic, I’m sure.”

There, she said it. It took a lot for her to admit it, but she really didn’t see any other way out regardless. Sumire guessed that Suzui most likely saw what had happened. Better to be honest than to fabricate some sort of lie, at this point.

“Yoshizawa-san, you’re anything but that. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’re going through a rough time, but can you promise me you won't do something like that again?”

Sumire was silent in response. _It did feel good… I… I can’t promise her that._

Suzui was undeterred from the lack of response. “Ok, that’s fine. Can you at least promise me… that…” She didn’t want to finish, but the ex-volleyball player wasn’t sure if she even could regardless.

“I… I w-won’t do that. I promise.” Sumire replied softly, soothing the other’s worries.

“Ok, I’m glad.” Suzui said in relief, then opted to quickly change the subject to less depressing concerns. “By the way, what are you here this early? Your gymnastics practices are in the afternoons, right?”

“Oh, I had to give another testimony to Principal Ine about Amamiya-senpai’s incident…

“Wait, that was you? You were the victim of the bullying?”

Sumire gave her a weird look. “You didn’t know? I thought Amamiya-senpai would have told you about the incident, or you would have heard from the various rumors going around.”

“Ren didn’t tell me who it happened to to protect their privacy, and I’ve long since stopped listening to the rumor mill around school. I… I think you would know why.” Suzui replied as she stepped forward with a paper towel, handing one to Sumire. She took it, then the raven-haired girl turned to clean the blood off Sumire’s locker. “I’m sure you heard the rumors about me last year. E-Everyone did…”

“Y-Yes, I understand… I apologize for bringing it up.” Sumire said pitifully as she dabbed at her forehead with the paper towel.

“It’s fine. I’m doing better now. Well… physically, at least.”

The two said nothing while they each finished up rubbing the blood away. The silence allowed them to work quickly, dropping the paper towels into a nearby trash can just before the door opened and a pair of students waltzed in.

“Oh, I suppose classes will be starting soon…” Sumire mumbled, then realized something. “Actually, Suzui-senpai, why are you here so early?”

The other girl ran a hand through her hair that wasn’t constrained by her ponytail, sighing. “I-It’s… kind of stupid, but… I wanted to come in early to make sure nobody messed with Ren’s locker again.”

“Again?” The redhead tilted her head in confusion. “Did something already happen?”

“Mhm. A few mornings ago, Ren came to school to find somebody flooded his locker with his shoes inside it. I’m here early because…” She blushed slightly, avoiding Sumire’s gaze slightly. “I wanted to make sure nobody messed with it. Even if he just uses my shoe locker now, anyway.”

Despite herself, Sumire smiled. “That’s very kind of you, Suzui-senpai. I’m sure he appreciates it very much.”

Suzui returned the smile, which was followed by an awkward silence. Sumire’s gaze dropped to her blazer, fidgeting with the lapels while she thought of something to say. Her fingers brushed over her Phantom Thief pin in a reassuring tick she was starting to develop, giving her strength.

She still jumped when Suzui suddenly spoke up. “Yoshizawa-san, I like that pin. Where did you get it?”

“T-This? Oh, I bought a bunch of them last year, when there was Phantom Thief merchandise. I wanted to give them out to students here at school so people could show their support, but then the owner of Okumura Foods passed away, and nobody wanted to support them after that…”

“I see… And you don’t think it was the Phantom Thieves who did that?”

Sumire shook her head. “No. Or, at least, they didn’t mean to kill him. Amamiya-senpai is too nice to be capable of something like that!”

That got a warm smile from Suzui. “No need to raise your voice, Yoshizawa. I believe and agree with you. Actually, do you still have those pins? Maybe I should wear one myself to show my support.”

“Oh! Yes, I do have some! Just one second!” Sumire beamed as she dug through her bag, pulling out a small ziploc that was filled with pins. She took one out and handed it to Suzui, who immediately fashioned it onto her sweater.

Suzui smiled and nodded in appreciation. “Thank you, Yoshizawa-senpai. By the way, Ren and I typically eat lunch on the roof. If you like, feel free to join us. I know he won’t mind, and I think having somebody else around will do all three of us some good.”

For the first time that day, Sumire’s eyes showed a glint of happiness. “I’ll be there, Suzui-senpai!”

\----------

“Oh, Yoshizawa-san. F-Funny seeing you up here.”

Yoshizawa stood up straight from the bench she was sitting on, bowing slightly. “Hello, Amamiya-senpai! Suzui-san invited me to join you two for lunch, is that ok?”

Ren cast a glance to Shiho, who nodded silently as an affirmation. “If Shiho invited you, th-then I have no problem with it.”

Before Ren could make his way over to Yoshizawa, Shiho quickly pulled him aside, whispering, “Sorry I did that suddenly, she’s in a bad place. I thought we could at least provide company.”

It was pretty obvious, but Yoshizawa politely directed her attention elsewhere. Ren smiled weakly. “We’re g-going to need to work o-on your subtlety.”

Shiho pulled back, narrowing her eyes in a pout. “Sorry Mr. Master Thief. Perhaps you should teach me how you’d do it, then.”

She meant it as a light-hearted quip, but it had the opposite effect. Ren’s shoulders fell, as did his gaze. “Why would you w-want that? I’d probably just g-get you in trouble…”

“If I do, I do. It would at least be something to do in this boring town.” She waved off his concerns. “But if you’d teach me about subtlety, then could you, um… also teach me self-defense?”

Ren was about to answer, but a short cough from Yoshizawa, reminding the two she was still there, snapped their attention to the redhead.

“Sorry senpais, I can leave you two alone if you’d prefer.” Her mouth was in a smile, but it was easy to notice her eyes couldn’t match it.

“N-No, it’s fine. It’s our fault, we got carried a-away.” Ren’s eyes fell on Yoshizawa’s very large bento box, which provided a welcome change of subject as he walked up to sit on an air vent across from the bench. “That’s huge… D-Do you eat that all yourself?”

Yoshizawa nodded her head, happy to move onto something else. “Mhm. Just watch!”

\----------

The rest of the school day, lunch included, passed relatively smoothly.

Although, the glaring looks Shiho received for wearing the Phantom Thieves pin were something she could have gone without. The same went for Ren’s locker being stuffed with feathers, which didn’t matter considering Shiho and Ren now shared a locker. However, the girl did give them points for creativity.

Still though, things could be worse. And with their luck, Shiho and Ren being left alone for the day was only an omen of bad things to come.

As the duo made their way to the train station after school, they were stopped by 5 students coming out from an alley, blocking their path down a narrow street. Shiho noticed Ren wanted none of it, so she turned around the other way, only to see 3 more students coming up behind them.

“Shiho, stay very close to me…” Ren whispered to her, moving close but being careful to not touch. “Morgana, stay hidden. I don’t want a repeat.”

He took a deep breath, then raised his voice, so all 8 could hear. “What do you all want? I don’t recognize any of you from the other day.”

Shiho noticed a different tone of voice within him, which caught her off guard. He didn’t even stutter, either. Was this that alternate personality Ann mentioned to her about?

“We’re here to teach the no-good criminal a lesson for unnecessarily breaking a student’s nose.”

The one who spoke grinned evilly, and Ren realized that all of them were holding something behind their backs with one hand.

His collected persona faded a bit, but he did his best to stand tall. “Whatever you’re about to do, at least leave Shiho out of it. Let her walk away.”

“W-What?” Shiho spun on Ren, who eyed her with a sad smile. “I’ll be ok, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not! You shouldn’t even be bullied in the first place!” She spat, then turned her attention to his tormentors. “In fact, you should all be thanking him! He saved the future of this _entire_ country, and _this_ is how he’s repaid? Harassment, bullying, traumatic event after traumatic event? _Just leave him alone!”_

“Shiho, you-” Ren started, but cut himself off when a crack resounded through the air, and he cried out in pain. Whipping around, the girl noticed that one of the 3 in the back had drawn a pistol, with the barrel pointed straight at Ren’s back.

“REN!” She screamed, rushing to check his back. At first, she was relieved to see only a spatter of paint from a paintball gun, and not a bullethole. The relief was immediately replaced with fear when she saw everyone else draw their own paintball pistols.

Ren acted fast. He grabbed Shiho and practically dove into a corner of two buildings, effectively cutting off two angles of attack. He shoved her in front of him, forcing her to crouch down while he did the same, effectively forming a human shield over her.

Shiho barely got touched during the onslaught except for a stray paintball or some deliberate aiming, but she would never forget Ren’s screams of pain mixed with evil laughter.

\----------

“...Ren? Ren, please, say something…”

Shiho’s concerned face hovered in Ren’s tear-ridden vision as he regained his breath. “What… A-Are they…”

“Yes, they’re gone. Please, get up.”

At that point, Ren realized that he was laying on the ground in the fetal position, with no memory of how he got there. The teen slowly stood up with Shiho’s help, leaning his shoulder against the wall for support. “They’re g-gone?”

“Mhm. They left a few minutes ago. But you were… I-I’ll be honest, I thought you just… completely shut down.” Shiho placed a shaky hand on Ren’s back to further support him, but immediately retracted it when he hissed in pain.

“S-Shit, that stings…” He spat between gritted teeth, trying to hold in tears.

Shiho swore under her breath, her hands beginning to shake further. “I-I think we s-should take a look at your back… D-Do you mind?”

With his composure somewhat regained, Ren turned his head to look at her. “Are you sure? I-If you can’t handle it, that’s ok, you-”

“No, I can do this. You’ve spent nearly every day with me since school started a couple of weeks ago, and I think I’m comfortable enough with you.” She replied steadily.

However, Ren wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was eyeing her hands, which were still shaky. Hesitating, he reached out and touched the top of her hand. Shiho instinctively flinched, but eventually, she allowed herself to push her hand further into his. Ren took the opportunity to grasp her hand gently without locking their fingers together, and the two of them stayed that way until Shiho’s shaking subsided.

“A-Are you ok now?” Ren asked meekly, and Shiho looked up to see a small blush on his face.

“Oh! Y-Yes! Sorry.” Her own face heated up as she retracted her hand, taking a deep breath in. “Now, let me examine your back…”

He complied, turning back around so his back was facing her. The first thing she noticed was that the back of his head, as well as his neck, was also covered in paint. A closer look revealed a slew of welts, cuts, and other bruises, which caused Shiho to wince in pain. Another deep breath steeled Shiho’s resolve, and she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and blazer’s paint-ridden fabric, pulling it up in one swoop.

What she saw horrified her.

His entire black was already practically black and blue. Indents where some paintballs had hit but not exploded also dotted his back, leaving particularly nasty-looking scars that were starting to bleed. Shiho could barely take any more of it and practically yanked down his shirt, which made Ren chuckle.

“T-That bad, huh?”

“This is nowhere near funny! I’m taking you to the hospital right now!” She protested, already picking up Ren’s bag so he wouldn’t have to carry it. Shiho subconsciously knew Morgana would be in the bag, but the ex-volleyball player didn’t register it until she could actually feel the cat struggling inside.

She opened up the zipper and Morgana poked his head out of the bag, meowed exasperatingly.

“I know, I know. Sorry, We were k-kinda occupied.” Ren said in response.

More meowing, followed by a growl.

“There’s nothing we can do. If I fight back, I’m done for. I j-just have to take it…”

Morgana meowed angrily, but relented. He looked at Shiho, then nodded his head as he meowed some more.

“He wants you to take me to the hospital.” Ren translated for her.

“Well, good thing I already decided that I was going to. C’mon, you can lean on me while I look up the nearest ER on my phone.”

“Are you su-”

Shiho wheeled on Ren, speaking quickly. “Can you stop asking me that? If you haven’t guessed by me allowing you to touch me prior, I’m ok with it. If I say physical contact with you is ok, you don’t have to confirm it.”

It felt good to get that off her chest. She didn’t exactly want to be babied, even if she knew Ren was doing it in good conscience. However, that feeling immediately evaporated once she saw the hurt look on his face. She spoke up again before he could get any other ideas.

“I-I’m sorry, I just… I’m so mad. They treat you like… like shit! And you’ve been nothing but nice to everyone, especially me. I just… appreciate it. I appreciate you. It’s nice to have somebody on your side for once, and I know that you’re just trying to help an-”

Shiho was cut off by the feeling of soft arms wrapping around her. She stiffened momentarily, but it only took a second or two for her to relax into the hug, her own arms holding him tight.

The girl lost track of the time, but if she had to guess, the two stayed like that for several minutes.

“I appreciate you too… H-Having a friend here who understands my pain is very reassuring to have.” He said softly. “M-Maybe that’s why we’re all touchy-feely; we understand what we’ve gone through and what we need to put ourselves back together...”

At that, Shiho felt herself blush, and she pulled away from Ren. “I suppose… I’ll admit I’ve grown pretty distant from my parents after the incident. Being hugged by somebody else has… done more than I thought it would. If it’s ok, could we maybe hug more…?”

Fortunately, Ren saw eye-to-eye with the girl. “Join the club. I s-suppose I could always use a hug t-too.”

The two stood looking at each other in a slightly awkward silence.

“A-Anyway, let’s just get the hospital trip over with. It seems you’re not going to let me g-get out of it.”

“You are correct, mister. Now, let’s go.”

With Ren leaning on Shiho’s shoulder, the two + cat exited the narrow street at a slow pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty heavy chapter here. Not too much else to say.
> 
> Update-wise, the time between this chapter and the last is the longest it's been yet. I would rather not have that be the case consistently, but TWaM keeps me pretty busy when it comes to writing. So I might go for slightly shorter chapters here, that I can release stuff here more frequently. Or maybe not. Either way, I'm going to kinda mess around with the chapter length for Broken Souls for a bit until I find something that works best with my time spent writing for TWaM.


	5. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: implication of self-harm, and implication of an almost suicide attempt.

Fortunately, the nearest ER wasn’t too far away - only a few blocks.

Unfortunately, they were clearly uncomfortable with Ren being in their building. As the pair approached the front desk in the deserted waiting room, the attendants suddenly found themselves busy with paperwork, or typing on their computers.

Shiho, undeterred, stared down the attendant closest to her, and waited. Ren acted the total opposite; he made himself as small as possible, staring down at the floor. By this point, he was able to stand on his own, but Shiho was hesitant to move anywhere far away enough from him that she couldn’t catch him if he fell for some reason.

When the front desk attendant realized they weren’t going to go away anytime soon, she finally directed her attention to Shiho, pointedly ignoring Ren. “How can I help you?”

“I don’t need help. He does.” She replied, gesturing to Ren. “We were attacked by students with paintball guns. He took most of it, and his entire back is bruised and bleeding.”

The attendant looked at Ren, who had looked up from the ground and was eyeing her cautiously. It was easy to see her hesitation, both on her face and in her voice. “I… d-don’t think some bruises are worthy of an ER visit… J-Just-”

She was cut off by the sound of a hand smacking the countertop, making her jump visibly in her chair. Ren’s eyes narrowed as he removed his hand from the table, revealing 100,000 yen sitting on the countertop. “Just g-get me an exam room and we’ll get th-this over with.”

Even Shiho was at a loss of words for the sudden up-front money payment.

The entire lobby stood still for a few moments, before the attendant swallowed the bile in her throat and nodded her head. “P-Please take a seat, a nurse will be with you shortly.”

As the two obliged, Morgana let out a low meow from the confines of Ren’s bag. “What’s going on? What did you do?”

“I p-paid the hospital bill up front.” Ren whispered more to Shiho than Morgana, so he didn’t look like a lunatic talking to a school bag. The two sat down, Ren careful to not let his tender back touch anything.

“Not only did you pay the bill, you probably paid for it 5 times over, and for people that don’t even like you!” Shiho hissed. “Why did you do that?”

“B-Because they were going to pull some other bullshit to deny me and I was just tired of it!” Ren snapped back hotly, shutting Shiho up. “And thanks to the Metaverse, I have more money than I’ll probably ever realistically need in my lifetime. We all do. If it still existed, I could make back what I just paid in about 30 seconds.”

Shiho visibly recoiled as she listened to Ren speak with a sudden fire, and her eyes widened as he reached the end of his explanation. She had no idea what to reply with (nor did she even have the voice to at the moment), so Ren continued with an apology.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Like I said, I-I’m just tired of being treated like trash. A-And to answer your unspoken question, the denizens of the Metaverse had unlimited pockets. We made use of that.”

“I-I see…” Shiho stammered back. “And I accept your apology. I know things are hard for you. But, Ren… I’m on your side. Please remember that.”

Ren noticed that it looked like Shiho wanted to give him a reassuring hug, but her body language wasn’t fully in on it. With a wave of his wrist, he dismissed the gesture. “You don’t need to do that if you aren’t c-comfortable. But I appreciate having you in my corner. I-I really do.”

Shiho was about to reply, but the sound of a door opening cut her off. “Amamiya? We’re ready for you.”

Ren stood up and took a step towards the door, but was surprised to hear footsteps behind him. “You d-don’t need to come, Shiho.”

Shiho breezed past him, standing next to the nurse at the entrance to the back clinic. “I don’t… But I want to. P-Please.” She stammered, swallowing anxiously.

“...Fine.” He said simply, following the nurse once he reached the door.

They took Ren’s vitals, weight and height, then ushered the two into a patient room. Ren sat on the bed as Shiho took one of the chairs while the nurse gave an update.

“Our doctor is just finishing up paperwork with a patient that just left. She will be with you shortly.”

Shiho set down the Monabag on the other chair, and unzipped it just enough for him to poke his head out once the nurse left the room.

“Thanks, Shiho!” He mewled, even though he knew she wouldn’t understand him. Looking around the place, he gave a hum of approval. “This place looks much cleaner than Takemi’s. More professional, too.”

Ren tapped his fingers together nervously. “W-Well, what do you expect? She’s a b-back alley doctor. Though I trust her more than any o-other place in this shithole.”

The trio left their conversation at that.

\----------

It had been about 10 minutes since being led to an exam room, and Shiho was starting to get pissed. The waiting room was clearly deserted when they walked in, and neither did she see anybody coming in or going out while in the halls.

Shiho was about to go outside and demand somebody check up on them just as the knob turned. She quickly zipped the Monabag closed, hiding the feline as the doctor stepped in.

The first thing Shiho noticed was how tall she was. Easily reaching up to be 6 feet and some, she guessed, and that was without heels. She wore large, round glasses to frame her face, which was home to a pair of very green eyes. Her slim figure was topped off with hair in the style of a pixie cut, and for a second, Shiho seriously wasn’t sure the doctor was a male or female.

She hoped to find a clue with the doctor’s voice, but even that was somewhere in the middle. “Hello, Amamiya-san. My name is Seiko Suki.” She bowed slightly, which caught both Ren and Shiho off-guard.

Neither recovered before she spoke again. “No, I’m not afraid of you. The details aren’t important, but I had a troublesome ex who kept harassing me for reasons I didn’t disclose. I left a request on the Phansite, and you must have changed his heart. He stopped suddenly, but I moved out here to get away from it all.”

Ren blinked, but relaxed. “I-I see… It’s nice to s-see somebody better off from a change of heart in p-person. In the grand scheme of things, th-there’s not much of a chance to run into somebody who was affected by a-a change of heart.”

The doctor’s face was nigh unreadable. “Understandable. But it’s a small world. You’d be surprised.” She set her clipboard down on the counter next to the sink, moving for her stethoscope to check his heart. “I was briefed that you were attacked with paintball guns on your back?”

“And the back of his neck and head, too.” Shiho added as Dr. Suki went through the normal primary checkup procedure. “I don’t think they got the legs, though.”

“Th-They didn’t. At least, I didn’t f-feel anything.” Ren confirmed as the doctor finished up preliminary checks, looking at him expectantly. “U-Um, what is it?”

Dr. Suki sighed. “I can’t look at your injuries unless you take your jacket and shirt off, and I’m not going to strip you myself.”

“That was rather blunt…” Shiho muttered under her breath, but one look at the doctor’s face showed that it was just as unreadable as before. Either she was trying to mask her emotions, or this doctor hardly had any in the first place. Shiho turned her attention to Ren, only to realize he was staring at her, wide-eyed.

“What?” She raised an eyebrow. “If you’re worried about you being shirtless in front of me, don’t be. The sight doesn’t bother me much anymore, it’s just the touch. It’s kinda hard to not see shirtless guys in a coastal town, you know.”

Ren took a deep breath, as if debating something. Shiho noticed Dr. Suki was tapping her foot, waiting for him to proceed. And proceed he did, albeit slowly.

The jacket came off in a very cautious manner, as if it was a bomb that could be set off at any point in time. But when it came to the shirt, Ren stopped. “D-Do I have to take off the shirt? Can’t you just look at my back instead?”

“I want to get a full examination of your backside, neck included. I need the shirt off, it would be much easier.” Dr. Suki said evenly, but for a split second, Shiho thought she heard hesitation in her voice. It was as if she was scared of seeing what was under that shirt.

Shiho didn’t say anything, but she did flash a small smile of encouragement when Ren looked her way.

That seemed to do the trick. Sighing, Ren hesitantly peeled off his school shirt, wincing as the dried blood on his back stuck to the shirt, refusing to come off cleanly. He hesitated for a second, then just opted to yank his shirt off in a single motion. Shiho and even Dr. Suki couldn’t help but wince uncomfortably at the action, and now Ren’s torso was available for all in the exam room to see. He looked at the ground, chewing on his inner cheek timidly.

And Shiho’s jaw dropped.

Scars.

Scars were everywhere.

Shiho could only see his front, but there were so many bruises and scars that if she didn’t know better, his body was used as a painting canvas and wasn’t entirely washed off. The scars around his chest were faded and discolored, but prevalent. Shiho guessed those were from scrapes in the Metaverse, but what was worse were the bruises.

Shiho almost couldn’t take it as she looked at them. Ren’s entire torso was discolored from countless battles and beatings, but it was worse in particular spots. His upper chest, along with all the scars, was also a slight hew of purple and yellow. The worst was in two places around his ribs: One of them looked like a boot print on his right side, and the other was an ugly yellow that covered the most of his stomach. The girl did her best to steady her breathing as she reached a conclusion: Those bruises weren’t done by something through the Metaverse. People inflicted those on him.

Even the seemingly unphasable Dr. Suki paled at the sight. But Shiho noticed she was looking at his arms. And when she followed the doctor’s gaze, Shiho couldn’t stop herself from gasping.

Ren’s arms, just below his shoulders, were covered in horizontal cuts that dragged across his upper biceps. Unlike the jagged nature of the other cuts and scars around his body, these were clean, neat, and precise. Most of them were somewhat faded, but there were a few that looked fresh. They were also clustered in a way that even if a short sleeved shirt rose up his arm a little, they would still be hidden.

“...Please turn around so I can treat your back and neck, Amamiya-san.” Dr. Suki said quietly. Ren obliged, and the doctor set to work treating his bleeding, black and blue back.

Nobody said anything until Dr. Suki finished her work.

\----------

It took roughly half an hour for Dr. Suki to treat the entirety of Ren’s injuries. By the time she finished, it had gotten dark outside, and Shiho’s mom had texted her asking where she was. As she responded that she was with Ren and would be home sometime soon, Ren’s entire torso was being wrapped by gauze.

Shiho turned her attention to the tail end of the doctor’s conversation with her patient. “...just be easier to do this. No showering or getting it wet for two days. I want the medicine and hydrogen peroxide to do it’s work, and the gauze will keep it covered so it won’t stick to your shirt.”

Ren numbly nodded as he stood up, throwing on his shirt and tossing his jacket over his shoulder. Meanwhile, Dr. Suki was typing things up on a computer. “I’ll prescribe some basic pain meds, but… I don’t want to give you anything stronger than that. Nothing that would… be a risk if you took too many at once, other than give you some mild stomach issues.”

Both Shiho and Ren visibly winced at the blunt implication behind her words.

Dr. Suki either didn’t notice, or didn’t care. She pulled out a business card from her lab coat pocket, handing it to Ren. “I don’t work here every day. I also own a private practice towards the eastern side of the city. If you ever need something, let me know. I owe you a lot.”

Ren blinked, then took the card. “T-Thanks.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. Let me go get you cleared. Once the nurse gives you the ok, you’re free to go.”

Shiho didn’t even have time to thank the doctor like she wanted to before she was already out the door.

The duo looked at each other briefly, before Ren pointedly looked away at the ground. “I’m gonna use the bathroom.” He mumbled, shuffling past Shiho to the door.

After he left, Morgana began to wiggle around in the bag, meowing. Sighing, Shiho unzipped Ren’s school bag halfway, and the front half of Morgana popped out, looking at her expectantly.

“...You have something you want to tell me, huh.” Shiho cocked her lips to the side in a mild pout.

Morgana nodded, then shook his head and looked at the ground.

“But you don’t know how to tell me.”

Another nod, but this one was more energetic.

“Well, we seem to be communicating fine now. Can I just ask you yes or no questions?”

A nod.

“Ok…” Shiho lowered her voice and kneeled eye-level to Morgana so she wouldn’t be heard through the door, not wanting to sound crazy for talking ‘by herself’. “Does it have to do with this entire situation?”

A nod.

“Does it have to do with that doctor whose ex-boyfriend's heart you stole? Do you know her from before or something?”

Morgana shook his head.

“Does it have to do with Ren’s injuries?”

Another nod.

“Does it have to do with his back?”

Morgana shook his head again, then pawed at Shiho’s shoulder.

Shiho sighed, then asked the question she had been dreading from the start. “Is it about the… the cuts on Ren’s upper arms?”

A solemn nod.

The girl took a deep breath, closing her eyes to keep herself calm. “Ok… Have you ever seen how he got them?”

He shook his head.

Shiho felt a knot in her throat. “D-Do you know what they mean? They… aren’t normal injuries.”

Morgana didn’t shake or nod his head, instead opting to tilt it slightly, as if in thought.

“You don’t know?”

He didn’t answer her, then let out a soft, long meow. Shiho guessed that he couldn’t continue without giving her actual answers, and the girl ran her fingers through her hair in slight frustration.

“Ok, we’ll have to figure out how I can talk to you. But for now, let’s-”

She stopped herself when she heard the door knob turn. The nurse popped into view, then raised an eyebrow. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

Shiho quickly stood up and blushed, shaking her head furiously. “He’s n-not my b-boyfriend! We’re just f-friends. H-He’s in the bathroom right now…”

The nurse stared at her as if saying _‘but you two look so obvious’_ , but instead just said “When he gets back, he’s free to go.”

She closed the door on Shiho, who buried her face in her hands, groaning. “God, so embarrassing…”

Shiho looked up when she felt Morgana’s paw on her arm. “What is it?”

Morgana seemed to be frowning at her, then gestured his head towards the door.

“You’re ready to go?”

He nodded.

“But we need to wait for Ren.”

Morgana nodded again, although there was much more energy in his movements.

Shiho’s eyes widened. “You think something is going on with Ren?”

More vigorous nodding.

Shiho cursed under her breath and picked up both her school bag and the Monabag. Slinging one over each shoulder, she opened the door to the hallways and stepped out, Morgana perched on her shoulder.

Shiho didn’t really care about the looks she got from the nurse. They already didn’t like Ren anyways, and anybody who didn’t like Ren, didn’t like her. “Morgana, can you catch his scent?” She looked back at the cat, a slight worry in her voice.

Morgana glared at her for half a second, but pointed a paw down the hall. Shiho followed.

Eventually, the duo stood in front of one of the unisex restrooms. Morgana nodded his head in affirmation, urging Shiho to knock on the door. She obliged, calling out in a soft voice.

“Ren? Are you in there? The nurse gave us the ok to leave.”

It took several seconds, but the door finally opened to reveal a very red-faced Ren. His eyes were puffy, and the tips of his black locks that normally hung over his eyes were wet and sticking to his forehead. Droplets of water hung down his cheeks and neck.

She did her best to talk, but it came out as a stammer. “R-Ren, I-”

“Let’s go.” His voice was higher than normal, and there was a subtle shake to it. He brushed past Shiho, not even bothering to look at her.

His strides were quick, and Shiho didn’t catch up with him until they were out of the building and on the street. She grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back to face her. “What are you doing? Please, just let me talk to you!”

Ren frowned as he took a deep breath. “I-I need t-to be alone r-right n-now. A-And I need t-to get home, or e-else…”

It didn’t take a shrink to realize that Ren’s normal stutter was supplemented by fear. Shiho balled her hands into tight fists, but the anger wasn’t directed at her friend. “Or else what? What would happen to you?”

Ren didn’t answer, instead silently reaching for the Monabag. Shiho shifted her shoulder out of his reach, shaking her head. “No. You tell me what’s going on first, and then I’ll give you your bag back.”

He silently stared at her as tears started pooling in the edges of his eyes. Next to her shoulder, Morgana growled at him, meowing loudly.

“I-I can’t, Mona. I can’t d-do that to her.”

Even though Shiho had no idea what was going on, she felt something stir within her. Ren looked a lot like she did during Kamoshida’s worst. He… was planning something.

The fire that Shiho used to hold before it was snuffed out by a certain volleyball coach came back in full force. “Ren. You are going to tell me _right now._ I’m not going to leave you until you do.”

Ren shook his head frantically, the tears starting to fall. “Shiho, I-I’m r-really sor-”

“NO!” Shiho roared at him, then quickly checked to make sure it was only the two of them in the deserted street, lit only by the street lamps. “Do _not_ apologize to me. We promised each other we would work past our problems _together_. We started that when we became friends, and we sealed that deal when we both broke down on the rooftop a week ago!” By the time she finished, she was shouting at the top of her lungs in annoyance.

Shiho realized her mistake of raising her voice at Ren when she noticed how fearful his eyes were. His entire body was shaking, and his breath was starting to quicken. Morgana angrily hissed in Shiho’s ear, then wiggled his way out of the bag to jump on Ren’s shoulder.

“Shit, shit, shit, I’m so sorry Ren.” Shiho started, swallowing guiltily. “I lost my cool there, I really didn’t mean to raise my voice. I just want to help you. Let me help you, please…”

Very slowly, she extended a hand towards Ren’s free shoulder. His eyes watched her hand like a hawk, but he didn’t budge. Eventually, Shiho did connect with Ren’s shoulder, causing him to flinch, but his shaky body didn’t openly push her away.

She did her best to not think about the cuts on his shoulder under his shirt, but then again, it was part of the reason she wanted to talk to him.

Shiho didn’t dare try her luck and go closer. Instead, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Ren, look at me.” His frantic eyes settled on hers, and she did her best to pour as much compassion into her voice as possible. “We’ve both been through horrible, horrible things. Our souls have been broken. We’ve gone to school for about a month now, and the two of us have leaned on each other to get through. We’ve been bullied, we’ve been sneered at, we’ve been scorned and shunned from the entire school, maybe even this entire town. This is no different. We both have trauma to get over. You’ve already helped me so much, and I know you will continue to help me because I still have a long way to go. But, I want to return the favor. Please, let me help you. Talk to me, Ren. Let me be a shoulder for you to open up to, and to cry on.”

Ren didn’t say anything, but he did step a fraction closer to her. Shiho wasn’t exactly sure where to go from there, so she just let her thoughts pour out of her, even though she knew she was just rambling. She was also aware of the tears starting to stream down her own face.

“You and I are the only people at that God-forsaken school who understand what it’s like to be backed into a corner so small you think the only way out is to end it all. I’ve been there, Ren, and it’s so, so, _so_ not worth it. It doesn’t get better that way. And if you continue to bottle everything up, it’ll become too much, and then…”

Shiho choked back an ugly sob, gripping his shoulder hard. “And the method you use to cope now doesn’t help. Just, please, open up to me. I can help you. I _want_ to help you, Ren. Promise me you’ll talk to me. Please…” Shiho’s breath hitched, and this time she gave in, flinging herself into Ren’s chest with a loud cry. “Please, don’t hurt yourself. Please, don’t kill yourself. Please, don’t leave me here alone…”

It had turned into her own selfish pleas, but Shiho didn’t care. Her emotions were too high-strung, too off the wire to care at that moment. She didn’t want Ren to do anything stupid - not only because she wanted him to live and move past things, but because she realized she _needed_ Ren to do the same.

Shiho didn’t flinch when she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her in tight. One hand moved up to the back of her head, and she was guided into the crook of Ren’s neck.

They were both silent until both Shiho’s sobs finally subsided, and she also couldn’t feel fresh tears falling into her hair anymore. Once they parted, Shiho did her best to smile and crack a joke. “You know, this must be what Ann was talking about when she mentioned how easy you are to get along with. I’ve only been your friend for a month or so, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Ren rubbed his eyes, chuckling softly. “Funnily enough, A-Ann told me the exact same thing about a m-month or so into our friendship, too. Maybe cl-closer to a month and a half.”

Shiho did her best to grin. “I think our baggage acts like a multiplier of sorts. Speeds up the process. You know what they say, misery loves company.”

Ren nodded. “Agreed.”

Neither of them said anything for several seconds, both looking anywhere else but the other’s face as they wordlessly began their short trek to the nearby train station.

Eventually, Shiho unshouldered Ren’s bag, handing it to him. “Here. By the way, you remember Golden Week starts in a few days, right?”

Ren blinked as he took his bag back from her. “N-No. It slipped m-my mind, I guess. Ann said she was c-coming to visit you, r-right?”

“Mhm. She’ll be here for a few days. What about Niijima-senpai? Is she coming?”

“She can’t. U-University is keeping her r-really busy…”

Shiho frowned. “I see… Well, we’ll all have to hang out, the three-” an annoyed meow interrupted her. “-four of us.”

“Ann was a-actually already p-planning on spending a day with me.”

“Good! It’ll be great for you two to catch up in person. Do you talk with her and everyone else often still?”

Ren shrugged. “I’ve always been quiet in our g-group chats. I’ll talk to s-somebody if I’m messaged.”

“That makes sense. You’re not always the best texter when it comes to us texting.” Shiho giggled. “But do you get messaged often?”

“Pretty often, yeah. It seems like there’s always s-somebody who wants to talk t-to me.”

Shiho’s face turned slightly serious, but her eyes were soft. “You see? Ren, there’s a lot of people who care about you. And that’s not including Niijima-senpai, who’s totally in love with you, from what you’ve told me. So… You’re not alone. You have a lot of people you can talk to next time.”

Fortunately, Ren took the shift back to a serious topic better than she thought he would. “I guess… I’ll c-consider it, but… Promise me th-that you won’t tell anybody w-without my permission.”

This time, Shiho didn’t press. “...Alright, I promise. Although, if the situation becomes life-threatening, I wouldn’t just do nothing… You’d understand, right?”

Ren didn’t say anything, and after several seconds of silence, Morgana instead meowed something to him.

“Shut it. Y-You don’t know that.” Was his response, which made Shiho cock her lips to the side.

_If I could just understand what Morgana was saying… But no, that would be a breach in his privacy. Morgana knows things only he does because they live together, and because I can’t understand him._

“Anyway, this is where we p-part…” Ren said with a sigh as the two reached his platform, and Shiho caught the higher than usual quiver in his voice. “I’ll see you t-tomorrow morning?”

Shiho did her best to give him a reassuring smile. “Always.”

\----------

“Ren, are you sure you’re gonna be ok?”

The boy in question took a deep breath as he looked at the front door to his house. Even if most of his injuries were hidden, white gauze was showing on the back of his neck. He considered popping his collar in an effort to hide it, but that would only point it out to his parents more.

“No, I’m n-not sure. But I have to come home at s-some point.”

Ren didn’t even bother announcing his arrival as he closed the front door behind him, slipping his shoes off as silently as possible. Stealthily, he darted down the main hall to get to the staircase as quickly as he could, only to be stopped by a sudden hand grabbing him by the back of his shirt just as he reached the first step.

He swallowed the bile in his throat as his dad’s stern voice boomed behind him. “Where the hell have you been? And what are these injuries?”

Ren went rigid in fear. “I-I was a-a-attacked b-by-”

“AGAIN?!” His dad shouted, spinning him around so they were face to face. “You’re a problem child, you know that? Why can’t you mind your own damn business?”

“N-No, d-dad I d-d-didn’t s-start anything, th-they-”

Ren was cut off via a sudden force into his chest. His dad pushed him backward into the stairs, slamming his back onto the wood. His head recoiled and smashed against one of the boards, instantly making him see stars as he cried out in pain from the impact on both his head and bruises.

“How many times do I have to teach you this lesson? Keep your damn nose out of other people’s business. Do I need to discipline you more, or do you understand me?”

Ren nodded his head violently, which he immediately regretted once his head burst with a fresh wave of pain.

“You better. Our reputation has only gotten worse since you’ve come back. If you don’t behave yourself I will need to keep you on a tighter leash. Am I clear?”

Ren nodded through the pain yet again.

“Good. Now get the fuck upstairs, criminal.”

The teen didn’t hesitate, scrambling up the steps as quickly as he could. He didn’t stop his mad sprint until he crossed through the door to his room, which he gently shut. He knew his dad would give him another beating if he slammed it.

“What in the absolute hell is wrong with your dad?!” Morgana popped out of his bag, snarling with such a fierceness Ren had never seen.

Ren collapsed into his bean bag, clutching his head with both hands. “W-what do y-y-you mean?”

Morgana blinked. “What do you mean, ‘what do you mean’?” The cat slid into Ren’s vision, his eyes like slits.

“H-He’s always…”

“HE’S ALWAYS TREATED YOU LIKE THIS?!” Morgana screamed, before he jumped away from Ren, running around the room frantically. “I can’t believe this, how did you not tell anybody? How did we not steal his heart? MRRRROOOOWWWWW!”

With the equivalent of a feline war cry, Morgana swiped all the paper that was in the tray for Ren’s printer and began tearing at it mercilessly, his claws creating a shower of white scraps. Ren just watched it happen as he felt something trickle down his nose. Bringing a hand up to check, he pulled it away to see red. He sighed, and stood up to make his way into his adjoined bathroom.

Ren stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like death, to put it nicely. There were bags under his eyes, his hair was matted and still colored green in some spots from spare paint, and blood was leaking from his nose. His eyes looked utterly devoid of life, while he was thankful for no bruises on his face, his entire back ached. Ren turned his attention to his bathtub, where he turned on the faucet. As he peeled off his shirt, Morgana’s voice came from outside.

“Ren, I’m sorry I lost my cool there. I’ve never done that before. I just… your parents are scum of the earth. Your dad abuses you and it doesn’t look like your mom cares enough to stop it. It makes my blood boil.”

“It’s fine.” Ren said quietly, nearly drowned out by the sound of water crashing into the bottom of the tub.

“Hey, what are you doing in there? The doc said to not get your back wet for a day or two.”

“I’m not doing anything like that. Just gonna w-wash my hair. Get all the p-paint out, then get ready for bed.”

“Oh, ok. I’ll be in bed, then.”

Ren waited several seconds, then reached up towards his sink for his shaving razor. He stared at it, before holding it to his chest while closing his eyes.

_If i’m ever going to bleed, I want it to be on my own terms. I’m in control. I’m in control. I’m in control..._

He placed the razor blade on his upper left arm, took a deep breath, and let the adrenaline flow.

\----------

“I’m home.”

Shiho crossed into the door of her two bedroom apartment she shared with her mom to find her peeking her head out from the kitchen. “You look exhausted. Is everything ok?”

She wanted to tell her mom. She really did. But it didn’t feel like it was her place. “I was with Ren, and we lost track of the time.”

Her mother sighed, but she was smiling. “It’s always that boy. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you have quite the crush on him!”

Shiho felt herself blush slightly as she protested. “Mom! Ren is just a good friend. And besides, he already has a girlfriend.”

Her mom clicked her tongue as she exited the kitchen in earnest, standing in front of her daughter. “Such a shame. It sounds like the two of you get along very well, too.”

Shiho gave a weak smile. “We do. We’ve both… been through a lot. So, it helps to know somebody who also is dealing with stuff.”

Her mom offered the girl a hug, which Shiho gratefully accepted. “I would love to meet Ren-kun. Will you ever bring him by sometime?”

“Well, Ann will want to see him while she’s here. I think we’re going to hang out here during one of those days, if that’s ok?”

“Of course! Just let me know in advance, dear.”

Shiho’s phone buzzed, and the girl released her mom to check it. Seeing it was Ann, Shiho started to make for her room. “Let me know when it’s dinner, mom. I’ll be in my room.”

As she shut the door, she let her bag slump off her shoulder as she collapsed onto her bed, her phone in both hands and at the typing position.

> _**Ann:** Hey girl, did you see Ren at all today?_
> 
> _**Shiho:** He sits next to me in class, I see him every day. Why?_
> 
> _**Ann:** Funny ;3_
> 
> _**Ann:** I’m asking because he hasn’t responded to any messages today, and he hasn’t even read the ones in any of our chats since this afternoon. Normally I wouldn’t give it much thought, but apparently he hasn’t even read Makoto’s messages. She’s kinda freaking out about it. Is he ok?_

Shiho swore under her breath. What on earth was she supposed to say to this? She knew Ren wouldn’t want her to tell Ann, but she didn’t want to straight up lie to her either.

She was debating what to do for so long, Ann had sent her a follow-up text.

> _**Ann:** Shiho, what’s going on? I’m starting to really worry, too._

Shiho took one look at the text, then breathed out a deep sigh.

_I’m sorry, Ann. I’m sorry, Makoto._

> _**Shiho:** He’s fine, he just wasn’t feeling well today. He went to the doctor’s this afternoon, but he should be ok by the time you get here!_

If she could describe herself in one word, Shiho felt dirty. Dirty for lying to her best friend, dirty for lying to Ren’s girlfriend, dirty for lying to everyone who was surely worried about him.

But she couldn’t betray Ren’s trust, no matter what.

Shiho briefly considered sending Ren a text explaining what she did, but she decided against it. Ren clearly wanted to be left alone for the time being.

_But…_

Images of Ren’s cuts on his upper arms flashed through her mind.

_Screw it, I’m going to reach out whether he would want me to or not._

Without a second thought, Shiho closed her message chain with Ann and opened one with Ren.

> _**Shiho:** Hey, if you want to talk at all, I’m here. I won’t push, but just in case you would like to talk to someone other than your girlfriend or your other friends._

Her phone rang immediately.

The two talked for hours. They talked about anything and everything, from sports, to homework, to their favorite music. Anything that would keep Ren’s mind off of what Shiho assumed he was thinking about. She just hoped she wasn’t too late, on multiple accounts.

Unknown to her, her hopes rang somewhat true. She was too slow for her first worry. But if she had texted him roughly a minute or two later than she did, Ren’s night would have been his last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this more angst than needed? Probably.
> 
> Do I regret it? Absolutely not.


	6. Food For Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Brief mention of previous self harm.

The next morning, Shiho found Ren waiting for her at the exit of the train station.

“Hey, Ren. You’re not usually here this early - is everything ok?”

Her question was answered in the form of a hug, Ren silently wrapping his arms around the girl’s shoulders to pull her in tight. Shiho struggled against the hug, unprepared for the sudden display of affection. “G-Get off of me!” She stammered in pure reactionary adrenaline, pushing away Ren with as much force as she could muster.

She realized her mistake as soon as she made it, and upon seeing Ren’s face full of hurt, she held up both her hands in apology. “Oh my God I’m sorry, I just… I’m still not used to that sort of stuff without me initializing it, or giving my consent first.”

“R-Right… S-Sorry about that.” He said sheepishly, a hand on the back of his neck. Shiho relaxed, but only tensed back up a few seconds later when she heard the whispers around the duo.

_“Did you see that? Amamiya was going to rape her!”_

Shiho couldn't avoid the involuntary hardcore flinch at that.

_“Suzui’s finally had enough, it seems she’s going to fight back. Good for her.”_

_“I’d go help her, but Amamiya is way too scary. I don’t want him to steal my heart!”_

Shiho glared at the offenders, but before she could say anything, Ren placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched involuntarily at the touch but didn’t move away as he spoke. “Don’t bother with th-them. It’s n-not worth it.”

The ravenette grit her teeth and set her jaw, but relented. “...Fine. But, you can’t just let them say that stuff about you!”

Ren shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t m-make a difference.”

The penny dropped for Shiho. “Oh, right… No matter what you did at Shujin, the rumors about you never really went away, did they?”

Ren shook his head again, confirming Shiho’s fears. She waited for him to say something, but after several seconds of silence, he lifted his hand off her shoulder. “C’mon, l-let’s get to class.”

Shiho fell in stride with him silently, but she couldn’t stop herself from giving the harshest glares to other rumor-loving students as they passed by.

The silence didn’t last long, however, because Shiho had one glaring question. “Ren, why did you hug me so suddenly? Did something happen last night once you got home?”

Ren didn’t answer her.

Shiho didn’t push.

\----------

To the duo’s surprise, Ren’s locker was empty from any of the usual pranks. 

If there wasn’t something in his locker that would warrant towels to clean it out, there would often be notes that were slipped into the slit instead. Whether they were various notes calling him a criminal, telling him to go back to Tokyo, and there was even one telling him to go kill himself (Shiho fortunately got ahold of that one before he could read it, and promptly tore it into pieces before Ren could read it himself), the two of them always dutifully cleaned out the locker day after day. 

Shiho always did her best to prevent Ren from reading the notes, but sometimes he would get to open and look at them when she wasn’t looking. She knew it was a form of self harm, but Shiho wasn’t omnipotent. She couldn’t always be there when he opened his locker, nor could she always snatch the notes out of his hand in time when she was there.

Today, though, his locker was empty.

Shiho was relieved to see nothing in his locker for once, but Ren’s reaction was the complete opposite. He swore under his breath as he shut the locker angrily, Morgana sharing his sentiment with a low hiss.

“What’s wrong?” She simply asked, confused.

Ren turned to her, and annoyedly pointed towards her locker further down the hall, on the opposite wall. Shiho’s eyes followed his finger, and gasped when she saw water leaking out of the bottom edge of her locker.

“They finally realized it…” Her voice was soft and sad as the pair walked over, staring at the hastily put up tape surrounding the edges.

“Even if they did, they shouldn’t have included you in this.” Ren growled, the stutter forgotten as he held Morgana up to the locker, the cat cutting the tape off with his claws. He turned to Shiho, his eyes hard. “Shiho, I think you shou-”

“Absolutely not.” The edge in Shiho’s voice told Ren she knew what he was going to say, and he backed down instantly. She relaxed at that. “Good. You need to get that into your head. I’ll never abandon you, no matter what. We’re in this together, whether you like it or not. Got it?”

Ren nodded back wordlessly, and Shiho inwardly sighed. She really wished Ren would somehow get over his abandonment issues, but that would most likely be something the pair would need to work on. Instead, she stepped to the side and let all the water flow out of her locker, their shoes washing out with it.

“We have some time before class. Want to go dry them on the roof?”

“S-Sure.”

They were still 10 minutes late to homeroom in favor of dry feet, but Shiho didn’t care when the two were scolded. Nor did she care about the whispers concerning her and Ren as they sat down.

Shiho didn’t care anymore because she realized if she did, it wouldn’t have been long before she drowned along with Ren. And at least one of them had to stay afloat.

\----------

“Did something happen, senpais? The rumors have been worse than normal today…”

Sumire’s quiet voice cut through the uncomfortable silence as the three were silently digging into their lunches. Suzui offered a reply. “It’s nothing, Yoshizawa-chan. Don’t worry about it.”

Sumire bit her lip. “But Suzui-senpai-”

The pleading face Suzui shot Sumire was enough to get her to stop. Sumire thumbed the Phantom Thieves pin on her blazer, looking down at it longingly. “...Stay strong, Phantom Thieves. Your fans have your back.”

It came out as a whisper, but it was loud enough for the other two to hear her. Amamiya looked up from his lunch and gave Sumire a small smile when their eyes met. “Thank you, Yoshizawa-san.” He looked at the pin, then back to her. “By the way, I saw a couple of o-other students w-wearing pins today. Other th-than you and Shiho.”

Sumire beamed, thankful for an actual conversation. “Yes! A few first years have taken notice of us having lunch together yesterday. When I said you were wonderful company and as kind as the media claimed to be, people became less wary about wearing pins!”

“That’s great news! And it’s great to see you so excited about it, Yoshizawa-chan.” Suzui smiled back at the redhead as she rubbed a finger over her own pin. She seemed like she was going to say something else, but was cut short from the loud, obnoxious sound of the door to the roof creaking open. Sumire and Suzui jumped in surprise, but Amamiya looked like a deer in headlights, his eyes wide and frightful.

While Suzui placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, Sumire turned to the direction of the door and saw a hair of blood red standing in the doorway, looking around the rooftop with a blank expression. From their spot on the roof, she wouldn’t have been able notice the three, so Sumire stood up.

“K-Kasumi!” Sumire exclaimed, the girl in question turning her head to the source of the voice. Upon seeing her sister she broke out into a smile and jogged over. “There you are! I was wondering where you’ve been during lunch! So, you’ve been here with…” She looked behind her twin to see the faces of Suzui and Amamiya, the former still calming down the latter while looking at Kasumi with a cautious smile. “Oh! Amamiya-senpai! And… Suzui-senpai, correct?”

Suzui wearily nodded, then turned her attention back to Amamiya while whispering something to him. Sumire moved her head to block Kasumi’s view from the duo, standing up straight. “Yes, Amamiya-senpai and Suzui-senpai have invited me to eat my lunches with them up on the rooftop.”

Kasumi shone brightly and strode past Sumire, extending a hand to Amamiya. “My sister and I are big fans of yours, Amamiya-senpai! I’d like to thank you for keeping her company during lunch. I don’t eat with her every day, but I’m glad she’s found somebody else to talk to.”

Sumire winced and narrowed her eyes at the back of Kasumi’s head. She may not have meant any harm by it, but her twin was always a bit of an airhead when it came to social awareness. “Kasumi, you can’t just walk up to Amamiya-senpai like that…”

“N-No, it’s ok.” Amamiya spoke up for the first time, and Sumire noticed he was eyeing the Phantom Thief pin on Kasumi’s uniform. He took her hand and shook it steadily. “It’s a-always nice to meet somebody w-who supports the Phantom Thieves.”

Suzui seemed to relax at that, so Sumire took it as an invitation to do the same. “Kasumi, why are you up here? Were you looking for me?”

Kasumi turned back to her twin and nodded. “We always eat lunch together on practice days! I didn’t realize that you were eating lunch with Amamiya-senpai and Suzui-senpai, however. How cool that they invited you!”

“Y-Yes, Kasumi, it’s very nice of Amamiya-senpai and Suzui-senpai to invite me up here.”

Without missing a beat, Kasumi sat down on the bench next to her sister. “How did that come about? I know you’ve talked to Amamiya-senpai a couple of times, but I didn’t realize it reached this point!”

Sumire and Suzui exchanged a pained glance. Thankfully, Kasumi missed it. “...I just happened to decide to come up here to eat yesterday, and I saw them eating here. They invited me to join them.” Sumire lied through her teeth with a slight grimace.

Yet again, Kasumi didn’t catch it. “I see. I’m glad it worked out, then. Do you mind if I join you three for today as well?”

Nobody objected, but nobody explicitly gave permission either. Suzui looked to Amamiya, who looked down to the floor. Sumire bit her lower lip, then finally sighed inwardly and nodded. With that, Kasumi opened her lunch, a smile on her face.

“Thanks for the food!”

\----------

“You know, I don’t think Yoshizawa-chan was happy to have her sister join us for lunch today… Did you notice that too?” Shiho asked Ren as the pair made their way up the steps of the train station.

“I th-think I know what you mean.” Ren answered, looking to one of the cafe storefronts in the station. He stopped for a second, sighed, then started back up again. “She looked… bummed, I guess.”

“That’s one way to put it, but…” Shiho paused, then took a breath. “I think I know why. But I’m not sure if it’s my place to-”

She was cut off by the surprising sound of Ren’s stomach growling fiercely. Shiho began to laugh, but her face quickly fell once she realized how embarrassed Ren looked. “Are you hungry? Want to get some food somewhere?”

Ren bit his lip. “I wish, but ever since th-the incident when I b-broke that one student’s nose, most shops around here st-stopped serving me. We’d need to head further away from here to f-find a place…”

Upon seeing how depressed he looked, Shiho did her best to stifle a frown as she reached up to settle a hand on his shoulder. “Then… Why don’t you come over to eat dinner at my place tonight? You definitely won’t be turned away there!”

Shiho meant that last phrase as a joke, but winced when she noticed Ren flinch at the delivery. Morgana poked his head out of Ren’s bag and meowed to his friend, before looking up at the clock in the station with a nod.

“What’s he saying?”

Ren was hesitant at first, but under the stern gaze of his pet, he relented. “He says since my p-parents normally work until quite late at night, I should be fine.”

Shiho knitted her brow. “Are you worried about getting home before your parents get home?”

Morgana meowed again, and this time Ren waited a few seconds before replying. “...No, it’s just… normally, if they get home before I do, then…” He trailed off, and while Shiho wanted to pry further, something told her she should really hold back at that moment. Instead, she looked down to Morgana, who only lowered his head slowly.

_If only I could find a way to communicate with him…_

“W-Which platform is your train on?”

Shiho was so lost in thought on trying to figure out ways to communicate with Morgana that she didn’t realize the cat in question was pawing at her arm until the third or fourth time. She looked up, blinking. “Oh, uh… Over this way. Let’s go!”

Perhaps involuntarily, Shiho grabbed his hand when she started off towards her train platform.

Neither of them bothered to let go until they got onto the train.

\----------

“Mom, I’m home.”

“P-Pardon the intrusion…”

As the two + cat made their way into the entryway, Shiho’s mom’s voice rang out from deeper within the apartment.

“Shiho? Did you bring somebody home?”

Ren timidly stood behind Shiho as a woman entered the hallway. She was a splitting image of Shiho; similar face, long, flowing black hair that fell freely unlike Shiho’s normal ponytail, and those chocolate hazel eyes that stared into Ren with a caring gesture that was absent in his own mom’s gaze. She was also shorter than Shiho, but quickly realized that his friend’s mom was built with pure muscle, not an ounce of fat to be found in her jeans and modest fitting black t-shirt.

“Oh! Are you Ren Amamiya?” She asked, giving him a look over. At his nod, she broke out into a smile. “Shiho has told me much about you! My name is Rui Suzui. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

She gave Ren a small bow, which he returned in kind. “L-Likewise, Suzui-san.”

“Oh please, Rui is fine. You’ve done enough for my Shiho to earn that privilege. Ever since she first mentioned your name, she’s become much more outgoing and confident.”

At Ren’s confused blinking, Shiho squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. “Mom, did you _have_ to say that?”

Despite herself, she was laughing a bit, and continued to do so until the others joined in with her. Once it died down, Rui crossed her arms. “So, what brings you here, Ren-kun?”

“I was wondering if Ren could stay for dinner? It seems…” She trailed off when she noticed Ren was giving her the side-eye, making her curse inwardly. Shiho really did want to somehow get to the bottom of what was going on with Ren, but it wasn’t that she was going to do it without his explicit permission. Let alone when the offender is in the room with her.

Rui looked between the two teenagers, but ultimately let it slide. “That’s fine with me. I was just planning on making yakisoba tonight, is that ok?”

Ren’s eyes widened slightly as he nodded. “Y-Yes, anything would work for me.”

Both Suzuis gave Ren a strange look, Shiho narrowing her eyes while biting the inside of her cheek. _He said that way too quickly…_

Ren’s stomach growled loudly, and he hid his face in a hand.

...Maybe she was just being way too paranoid. Maybe he was just really hungry today. But then again, Ren would always deflect questions about his life at home…

Maybe she could get him to slip up during dinner.

\----------

For Ren, dinner with the Suzuis was both a blessing and a curse.

It was a blessing in the way that for the first time in a few days, he had an actual, full-blown meal for dinner. At home, the teen wasn’t ever given full portions of food if he was even given dinner in the first place. It largely depended on his parents mood at the time. In a way, it could even be called negligence. In fact, that was probably the best word for it.

Even though he did his best to combat that by buying and stashing microwave food that could be cooked quickly and leave no trace before his parents would get home for the night, there was only so much you could cook and eat.

But that was where Ren messed up. He devoured his first plate of yakisoba stir fry before Shiho and Rui had even gotten through half of theirs. In his defense, he did give some to Morgana, but Shiho had been out to eat with Ren before. He never normally ate that quickly. 

He thought he was in the clear until Rui held out a tupperware box of leftovers as he was preparing to leave.

“Ren-kun, would you like another helping to take home?”

Ren shook his head, swallowing. “N-No thank you. I was just really h-hungry is all.”

Rui very clearly wanted to push, but to Ren’s relief, she relented. “Well, alright then.” Instead, she watched him as he put his shoes on, eventually opting for another change of topic. “Are you going to be visiting us again when Ann gets here in a few days?”

At his nod, she smiled. “Wonderful! I look forward to seeing you then!”

“Hey, I’ll walk with you to the station.” Shiho interrupted, stepping forward to put her shoes on.

“Oh, y-you don’t need-”

“I won’t take no for an answer, Ren.”

Shiho walked Ren to the station that night.

\----------

Fortunately, Ren had beaten his parents home.

Needless to say, it wasn’t too much of an accomplishment. More often than not, Ren made it home before his parents did. His mom worked long hours as a nurse, and his dad worked even longer hours as a salaryman. But that didn’t prevent his dad from coming home early every once in a while, and it was those days that Ren often did his best to hide away, or sneak up to his room without his dad realizing it if the teen was beaten home.

He took the opportunity of an empty kitchen to warm up some instant ramen from his stash hidden under his bed and took it up to his room, careful not to leave any mess behind. He sat down at his desk, opened up his computer, and queued up some soothing music to calm his nerves. His phone buzzed, causing Ren to jump in surprise, before he picked it up to see that the sender wasn’t Makoto, who he was currently texting with, but instead Ann.

> **_Ann:_ ** _It’s Friday! Only 4 more days left until I get to see you and Shiho! :D_
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _Are you excited yet?_
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _Definitely. It sucks Makoto can’t come though._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _It does! She’s really bummed about it, too. But we’ll still have fun! You need to show me around town!_
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _Maybe. We’ll see._
> 
> **_Ann:_ ** _Awww c’mon! We gotta hit the beach, you gotta show me the best places to get food… I’m gonna make a list, just you wait :3_
> 
> **_Ren:_ ** _I look forward to it._

Content with the conversation and done with his noodles, Ren pushed himself up from his desk and plopped onto his bed. Morgana immediately hopped next to his side, and for a while the two laid together while listening to the sounds of lofi hip hop in the background.

At some point, Ren released a shaky breath while moving a hand up to his upper arm. He rubbed the fabric of his shirt against his skin, exhaling from the dull pain that resulted from the fresh scars from the day before. It was exhilarating at first, but after a few seconds the pain became grounding to him. It put the teen in his place, where he was comfortable, where he knew what was real and what wasn’t.

Morgana opened an eye at hearing Ren exhale, and immediately noticed what he was doing. “Hey, hey, stop that,” he meowed, batting Ren’s hand with a paw. “I’m not sure what you’re doing but you look like you’re in pain. Besides, where do those scars come from anyway? Are you somehow getting into fights without me knowing it?”

At the realization Morgana didn’t know that self-harm was a thing nor the method he was using, Ren did his best to play it off cooly. “I-It was just an itch. N-Nothing important.”

Morgana didn’t believe him an ounce, but he allowed it anyway. “I see. My bad, then.”

The cat wasn’t entirely stupid. He knew something was up with Ren, aside from his very apparent depression. He just wasn’t entirely aware of what was going on. When you were born a year and a bit ago, you still have much to learn.

But regardless, Morgana had a plan. He just hoped to Lavenza that it would work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Kasumi! She's gonna be an actual character in this story, so we'll have both Yoshizawa twins interacting with Ren and Shiho. And with Ann visiting in just a few days, what will happen? Only time will tell!


	7. Underlying Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! This fic isn't dead!

“Surprise!”

Ann stepped off the train and straight into the arms of Shiho, who hugged her best friend fiercely. 

“Is it a surprise if we knew you were coming?” Shiho asked with a giggle as Ann pulled away, going to give Ren another bone-crushing hug. As he returned it just as hard, he heard another voice coming from behind the blonde.

“Maybe, but what about this surprise?”

Shiho watched with a smile as Ren instantly let go of Ann, his ears almost not believing what he had heard. But sure enough, Ann sidestepped him with a giggle to reveal Makoto Niijima stepping off the train, a wide smile plastered on her face. Before she could even move he was already on top of her, giving her a hug that admittedly even made the ex-volleyball player jealous.

“W-Woah! Ren, I can’t breathe!” Makoto whimpered out, but she returned the hug nonetheless. After several seconds, Ren finally let go of her and gripped her shoulders. “Why are you h-here?”

“To visit you, of course!” Makoto said, as if it were obvious. “I  _ was _ actually swamped with college, but I made sure to get ahead so I could come with Ann to visit you and Suzui-san.”

Ren looked to Shiho to see a small grin on her face, and he realized something. “Wait, S-Shiho, did you know she was coming?”

Shiho’s grin only grew wider. “Sorry, Ren, but Ann asked for me to keep it a secret. I’m glad we did though, that was quite the wholesome scene!”

At hearing that, Ren attempted a glare that he wasn’t really in the needed sour mood to back up, and Shiho winked back at him with a giggle. But in the peripherals of her vision, Shiho noticed Makoto frown slightly at the interaction.

“Anyway,” Shiho began, scratching the side of her neck, “I only have one guest room at my apartment. I didn’t ask because it would have ruined the surprise, but is it ok if Makoto stays at your place, Ren?”

And just like that, Ren’s happy mood very clearly evaporated without a trace. “O-Oh, well, um… My dad isn’t home this week s-so I suppose it’s ok…”

Makoto reached out and grabbed Ren’s hand instinctively, squeezing it gently. “Ren, what do you mean by that? Could I not have stayed with you if your dad was home?”

“O-Oh, just forget that. We’ll head back to my p-place anyways, Morgana would love to see you t-two.”

As he busied himself with grabbing Makoto’s things for her, Ann leaned over to whisper to Shiho.

“Did something happen between him and his dad?”

“I… I don’t know. He always dodges the topic when I ask about his family…” Shiho whispered back. “It does worry me. I think something is going on.”

“Do you think Morgana may know something? Have you tried asking him?” Ann asked as the group made their way to the platform that had the trains that ran to Ren’s neighborhood.

“I’ve tried, but it’s pretty difficult when you can’t actually speak to him.”

“Oh, right. But have you tri-”

“Hey you t-two, hurry up! The train’s here!”

“We’ll talk about it later.” Shiho said quickly, and Ann nodded in response. 

If there was one thing that Shiho wanted to do while Ann and Makoto were here, it was to get to the bottom of why Ren was so seemingly afraid of his parents.

\----------

“Pardon the intrusion!” Makoto called out to a silent house, which caused Ren to wince.

“D-Don’t worry about it. Nobody’s h-home.”

“Whaddya mean,  _ nobody? _ ” Came a voice from up the stairs, and Ren looked up to see the beaming face of Morgana staring down at them.

“Lady Ann! And Makoto?! You came too?” The cat cried out and raced down the stairs, Makoto crouching down to meet him in a hug as he jumped into her arms. Makoto giggled back, squeezing him tight.

“Hello, Morgana! I thought I’d check in on you two, make sure you both weren’t causing too much trouble around here.” She said cheerfully, which earned yet another wince from Ren, but in turn, one from Shiho when the realization hit her.

He hadn’t told any of his friends about the things going on here.

Shiho had almost told Ann at one point about the paintball gun incident, but ultimately decided against it. She would respect Ren and his privacy. If he wanted to tell his friends, he would.

“Hey Shiho, you ok? You look a little lost in thought.” Ann said while she leaned on a wall, eyeing up her best friend carefully.

“O-Oh, yeah, just thinking about stuff. You know.” She replied awkwardly, and while it didn’t seem to fully convince Ann, she ultimately let it go. Instead, she bent down to pick up Morgana, and held him close to her chest in a hug.

“Alright, Mona! Now you need to show us Ren’s room! After all, that’s going to be where all the action happens with Mak-”

“Ann! Did you  _ really _ have to go and say that here? Now?” Makoto cut her off with a complaining tone, which made Ren genuinely, actually, full-blown laugh.

Now that she thought about it, Shiho had never seen Ren laugh heartily in the almost two months they had known each other. And they hung out daily, to boot. It did make the girl jealous a bit, but when they likely went through many near death experiences, perhaps-

“Shiho, are you coming up?” Ann asked from her position halfway up the stairs, and Shiho had completely missed the fact that the rest of the group had already left their position by the entryway.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m coming!” Shiho said, shaking her head to rid herself of the jealous thoughts. 

_ It’s ok, they’ve known him longer, plus it’s his girlfriend… _

She was two steps above Ann when she was grabbed by the hand, making her turn around to look at the culprit. She was biting her lip, and her face was wrought in worry.

“Seriously, Shiho. If something is up, then you can-”

“I’m fine, Ann. Just… some small feelings I had to sort out. Nothing more. Now, shall we?”

\----------

Makoto wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from Ren’s room, but the one word that fit it the most would be cozy.

The fact that it was quite smaller than the vast expanse of the attic she and Ren had spent many nights cuddled up in offered a solid reason, but to her, there was more than that. It was Ren’s safe haven, as he had called it one night in a skype call. And to top it off, all sorts of pictures, knick-knacks, and Phantom Thief memorabilia was strewn all around the room. All Ren’s, and that made it all the more cozy.

Her eyes fell upon the bean bag, and she lit up. “You even have a space to sleep instead of an uncomfortable couch, Morgana! You, Ren and I on the same bed was always a bit of a tight squeeze.”

The cat looked at the bean bag, then back at Makoto with a smirk. “If you think I’m gonna stay in the same room as you two lovebirds who haven’t seen each other in months, you’d be crazy. I don’t wanna be anywhere near here at night!”

Ren’s face contorted to a frown, and without thinking, he blurted out, “Well, I guess y-you’ll have to stay with S-Shiho, if it’s ok with her mom…”

Both Ann and Makoto donned confused looks, the former tilting her head as well. “What do you mean? There’s an entire house for you to find somewhere else to sleep for the night!”

The teenage boy and his pet exchanged looks, Morgana holding his gaze but ultimately relenting to however Ren would try to explain why the cat wasn’t allowed anywhere but his room.

Ren knew that him telling his friends that his parents just flat out didn’t like Morgana wouldn’t work out well in the end, so instead, he went for a lame half-lie. “Well… my parents are allergic to cats, so they don’t want h-his fur all around the h-house…”

The female thieves started him down for several seconds, but eventually Makoto let it slide; but not without making it known that it sounded suspicious. “I see… Well, I suppose if it’s ok with Suzui-san we can do that, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be too bad while your dad is away…”

“M-My mom is still in town, and…”

When Ren didn’t finish, Makoto was going to say something but was caught completely off-guard when  _ Shiho _ answered for him. “His parents are pretty particular about it, and I really don’t mind. Plus, it’ll be fun to finally talk to him through Ann acting as a translator!”

Ann made some sort of witty comment back at the ravenette, but Makoto didn’t register it. She was already knee-deep in her own thoughts, digesting what had just occurred.

_ Why on earth was Shiho answering for Ren? Does she know things about his family I don’t? How often do they hang out? Just how close are- _

“...Earth to Queen? Hellooooo?” Ann snapped her fingers in front of Makoto’s face, bringing her back to reality. The blonde continued as Makoto blinked rapidly. “I’m not sure what you were thinking about so intently, but Shiho mentioned a good spot for all of us to go out to get lunch. Sound good to you?”

“O-Oh, sure. Lead the way, Suzui-san.”

Perhaps Shiho imagined it, but she could have sworn she heard the faintest hint of venom behind Makoto uttering her name.

\----------

It might have been Ren’s imagination, but their lunch seemed to be much more awkward than he thought it would actually be.

More specifically, all the tension lay between Shiho and Makoto. Or perhaps even more specifically, it was Makoto.

Behind the shy yet strong-willed Shiho lay a very laid-back personality, Ren had discovered. She was tough, and despite having her own emotional scars to triumph over, she had learned to grow thick skin to withstand anything that came her, or Ren’s, way. However, not even she could completely hold her own against the increasingly evident onslaught of Makoto’s jealousy.

Things started out simple enough, but by the time their food had arrived, Shiho had apparently answered one too many questions that were directed towards a very soft-spoken Ren.

"Suzui-san, I'm afraid I asked Ren about what you two normally do after school." The brunette said politely.

“Sorry, Niijima-san…” Shiho said shyly back. “Ren didn’t look comfortable answering the questions, so I thought I’d do it instead…”

Makoto turned to Ren to protest, but instead found him nodding. “I would have just said a-all the same things too.”

The brunette sighed and relented, but tucked the information away for later.

At the end of lunch, Ren simply said that he would get in touch with them tomorrow morning about plans, and the two groups broke off. The two walked silently, hands adjoined, for several minutes, before Ren spoke up.

“There’s s-somewhere I want to take you. It’s n-not far from here, only a few st-stops by train.”

“Ok then, lead the way.”

\----------

It only took around 10 minutes for the couple to reach their destination. 

Makoto found herself looking at an ordinary street. It was quiet, save for a couple of pedestrians, although around the corner she could hear the cars on one of the busier streets in the area. The street itself took a slight bend to the left, but other than that, Makoto didn’t see anything worth noting.

“I don’t understand... Why are we here, Ren? Is this a shortcut to get back to your house?”

The boy in question meekly shook his head, but there was a smile on his face, as if he was reminded of a fond memory. “No. Th-This is where it a-all began.”

The penny dropped instantly for Makoto, who gasped. “You mean… This is where Shido got you arrested?”

“Mhm.”

“So why are you smiling? You got arrested that night!”

“I did, b-but, because of it…” He trailed off, but Makoto didn’t need any more words than that to understand.

“Because of it, you were sent to Tokyo, and you met all of us…” She said softly, staring at the pavement as if it held the answers to life. “I suppose every rain cloud has a silver lining, huh?”

Makoto looked back up upon hearing Ren chuckle, of all things. “In this c-case, the silver lining w-was much bigger than the cloud. I just d-didn’t know it at first. Being able to meet you, Shiho, a-and everyone else has g-given my life purpose. I almost w-want to thank Shido for that.”

“Well, I’m very glad you can put a positive spin on things like that.” Makoto replied while silently storing away the information that Ren mentioned Shiho before any of his other friends. “And I’m very glad to have met you.”

Despite her current suspicions about what exactly was going on between Ren and Shiho, Makoto cast it aside and pulled her boyfriend into one of the very tight hugs she would give him when feeling particularly affectionate. He flinched slightly at first (which again, Makoto took note of), but fell into the hug a second after, tension she didn’t know he had leaving his body.

“I love you, Joker.” Makoto whispered so softly, she wasn’t even sure she said anything.

“I-I love you too, Queen.”

The two held the embrace for a little while, then parted awkwardly upon hearing a passerby cough annoyedly.

“Excuse me, you’re standing in front of my car…”

“O-Oh! Our apologies.” Makoto said with a blush as the pair moved out of the way, then lowered her voice dramatically when she followed up with “but thanks for ruining our moment…”

Ren chuckled again, which could almost be considered music to Makoto’s ears. His laugh had been something that came across rarely over the past several months, so any time she got to hear it was like opening a treasure chest of wonderful, warm emotions. 

She only wished that it wasn’t such a rare occurrence now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet y'all thought I forgot about this one, huh?
> 
> The truth is, Broken Souls comes second to TWaM. If I have time to write, it normally goes towards that. But since I hit writers block in TWaM and am currently on hiatus, I thought I'd bang out a short chapter for this as a means to both hopefully get my mind flowing again, and also maybe get some momentum back into this story. TWaM is still my priority, but I do hold a special place in my heart for this fic. 
> 
> For all of you who read TWaM and asked "How is Makoto not jealous of Ren and Shiho's relationship?", this is my response to that. Makoto is absolutely the jealous type! And it's worth mentioning even Shiho seems to harbor some jealous feelings, too. Quite a difference from TWaM, huh?


	8. Small Town Feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you can know and appreciate this, I actually did my research on Yaizu. All the locations in this chapter are real and are geographically correct in terms of their placement, so if you're interested in any of the places visited in this chapter, you can look them up!

“Wow, this boardwalk is so pretty! And it has great views of Mt. Fuji, too!”

As much as Shiho loved hanging out with Ren on the daily, it was great to have her long time best friend by her side.

After the slightly awkward lunch, Ann and Shiho had quickly dumped off all the travel bags save for a smaller bag that could house Morgana if needed, and headed back out into the city. A quick text from Ren told her he was doing the same with Makoto, and both of them agreed to stick to different parts of the city that afternoon to get some one on one time without worry of bumping into each other. There was a hidden agreement that it was also because neither of them wanted to deal with the awkwardness between Makoto and Shiho, but that had no need to be vocalized.

Sighing and temporarily pushing the thoughts from her head, Shiho couldn’t hold back a smile as she walked slightly behind Ann, Morgana perched on her shoulder, marveling at the comparatively few - but pretty - sights that Yaizu had to offer. Japan may have a lot of great places to visit, but Shiho had to admit that Yaizu did have a sort of charm about it. 

_I bet I could even live here permanently… Well, minus the bullying and social shunning in some parts of the city._ _But, I don’t think I could live here without-_

“Shiho! You okay?”

The ravenette snapped out of her reverie to notice that at some point during her dive into her thoughts, she had stopped walking. Shiho waved her hand in dismissal and jogged to catch up to the other two. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about what we should do next…”

She was disappointed in herself with how easily the lie came out, but unfortunately a silver tongue had become required for her and Ren to get by at some points. Ann was the next person in line to take the bait. “Oh yeah? Hit me! But nowhere too far, I don’t wanna spend any more money on train fares when we could just walk somewhere.”

The first thing that came to Shiho’s mind was when Ren threw down one hundred thousand Yen at the hospital like it was nothing, along his confession that all the Phantom Thieves were absolutely loaded. She almost countered with that, but at the last second remembered that technically, she wasn’t supposed to know that. “Well, once we get to the end of Ishizuhama Park’s walkway, we can take a right turn and go to Tajirikita Park, followed by Kiyagawa Ridge. It’s a public park and walkway on a canal and lined with cherry blossom trees. I haven’t been there since I went with Ren last week when the trees were in full bloom, though.”

“Works for me! It’s the tail end of the cherry blossom season, so we might be able to catch some trees still in bloom. Plus, it’s gotta be a nice place since you went there with your boyfriend.~”

The hum that Ann added on the end of her sentence really added to the blush Shiho was now wearing. “W-Woah woah woah, Ren and I aren’t dating! He’s got Makoto! I-I wouldn’t-”

“Relaaaaax, I know you won’t. I’m just poking fun. Still though, it seems like you guys hang out a lot. Almost every time I talk to you, you’re with Ren.”

Morgana piped up from Ann’s shoulder, and even though Shiho didn’t understand him, she could tell exactly what he was saying.

“Stop selling me out, you stupid cat…” Shiho muttered, which earned her a hiss and a giggle.

“You seem to know Morgana pretty well already, you know? Although he did just say that the three of you spend almost every day together…” Ann teased, smirking while giving some side-eye to Shiho. “And look, your blushing even more!”

Of course, that only made Shiho’s blush worse. “W-Well, yeah, we do spend every day together… Not always all day or anything, but we meet up at the train station to walk to school, eat lunch together, and then walk back to the train station together. Sometimes we hang out after school, but that depends on what’s going on…”

Morgana meowed at Ann a little, making her flat out grin. “Which appears to be much more often than not, according to a very credible source…”

“Ahhhhh, can’t you stop you freakin cat?! Why are you so smug today?”

“He says it’s because he doesn’t have to translate through Ren, who usually forces him to be nice.” Ann replied in his stead. “Although, that aside, I’m surprised at just how well you and Ren have hit it off, even if it’s just a friendship. The way Morgana’s talked about you two, it sounds like you and him are inseparable.”

Shiho rolled her neck, scratching the back of it. “I wouldn’t say that… I mean, we are close friends. He’s even helping me get over my past, in a way.”

“Really? How’s that?”

“Well… I mean, I guess he and I have hugged a few times. It’s not often and it’s only when one of us is really feeling down, but it’s progress, right?”

“Absolutely, Shiho!” Ann said, nodding her head furiously. “I’m so proud of you for taking steps like that! Although, how come you haven’t kept me in the loop? Were you worried about how I’d react knowing you and Ren have hugged, or become this close? Or why don’t you tell me much about Yaizu in the first place? Because you know I wouldn’t react poorly, no matter what you say!”

Truthfully, Shiho wasn’t exactly sure why. While she and Ann talked on the daily, it was definitely a topic that was rarely ever touched upon. Most, if not all conversation was directed towards Ann’s life in Tokyo.

Shiho decided to be honest, and attempted to chase the truth out loud. “I’m not actually sure. I didn’t think you’d react negatively, and I could see how he helped you last year that he has that sort of effect on people. If I had to just guess, maybe it would be because I don’t think there’s anything worth talking about. I only have two friends here, Ren and a junior of ours, so we don’t really get up to much.”

By the way Ann seemed taken aback, Shiho gathered that she never really told Ann just how alone she was in Yaizu until now. Well, thanks to Yoshizawa-chan, at least she had more than a single friend. “And besides, neither of us have really been one to have lots of friends.”

Ann couldn’t help but agree to that. “Yeah, fair enough. I guess I haven’t really had more friends than just you and Ryuji until last year. That feels like forever ago, though…”

“Yeah. Well… Oh wait, hold on, we need to turn right here.” Shiho said, and directed the three of them towards a crosswalk. “What I was gonna say was that last year felt really long to me, so I can only imagine what it would have been like for you. Risking your life every day, having the police on your back, having to worry about the bla-” _Hold up, Shiho, remember Ann thinks you only know the basics. Even if Ren told me the truth about Akechi, I’m not supposed to know that._ “Doing who knows what who knows where… That had to have been much harder than what I went through.”

Once again, Ann didn’t pay any attention to Shiho’s little slip. She was starting to debate if that was deliberate or not. “Nonsense, Shiho! I think we each had rough years in our own ways, and the circumstances were so different that we can’t really compare them. You went through something that…” A long pause. “Something that’s probably one of the biggest fears a woman can have. That’s a type of hell I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”

Ann paused again, wiping the beginnings of a tear from her eye. “I’m sorry, I’m just getting really depressing today, aren’t I?”

“You’re fine, Ann.” Shiho replied softly, then added quietly, “It’s no different than what Ren and I go through every day, anyway…”

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing. Just muttering to myself.”

Shiho hated keeping Ann in the dark about Ren’s depression that she had willingly shouldered alongside her own problems, but it was his wish. And besides, having Ann and everyone else know about it would only make things worse. The two of them didn’t need people all the way in Tokyo constantly worrying about them, especially when they were handling things themselves.

_...We_ are _handling it, right?..._

“Yeah, Morgana?”

Shiho snapped back and looked at the cat perched on Ann’s shoulder. He glanced back at Shiho briefly, and the worry in his eyes already told her what he was going to say. She flashed back one very strong gaze that said “ _don’t._ ”

“What’s up, Mona?” Ann asked, grabbing him under the arms and holding him out in front of herself. Luckily, Morgana didn’t say anything that would seem like he was giving Shiho and Ren’s secret away. He mewed something quickly and did his best to shrug, Ann buying it and placing him back on her shoulder. 

Fortunately, a distraction came in the form of their first destination: Tajirikita Park. Morgana hopped off Ann’s shoulder to the ground to chase a nearby lizard, while Ann took in the sights around her.

“It’s pretty, but…” She started but trailed off, not exactly wanting to be rude. 

“But aside from the cherry blossoms, there’s nothing special about it?” Shiho finished for her.

“Yeah. Sorry…” Ann chuckled sheepishly, twirling her hair. 

Shiho shrugged. “Don’t be. Aside from the tiny places in the countryside, Ren says this is about as small town Japan as you can get. There isn’t really anything fancy out here, aside from some coastal views, Yoshida Park further south, and a couple of local museums. Not even Japanese tourists have a reason to visit here.”

“I see… And Ren has lived out here his entire life aside from last year in Tokyo… How does it not get boring? The town has been very sleepy so far.”

“It’s always boring, to some degree. So, Ren and I have to make our own fun. We try to do all sorts of different things to keep us entertained. From visiting shrines, to going shopping at the different malls with his somehow endless supply of money, to even going hiking on the weekends. And he and I were considering trying out paintball and airsoft… Why are you giggling?”

It took Ann several seconds to compose herself. “Oh, it’s just that you and Ren remind me of him and the rest of us. We all bonded with him so quickly, and now it’s happening to you, too. It’s-”

“Mrrrrrroooowwwwwwww!”

Morgana’s nigh shout cut through Ann’s words as he came running back towards the two, his eyes locking with Shiho first, then glancing back behind him. Shiho followed his eyes and when she noticed what he was worried about, she swore under her breath.

Coming into the park were a group of Isegawa students that Shiho had always dreaded seeing. Three guys and a girl, and all of them loved giving Shiho and Ren plenty of shit about his time in jail, as well as Shiho’s willingness to stick by him. Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed Shiho yet, but probably would within the next half a minute as they came into the park proper.

“C’mon, Ann. Let’s get going to the Ridge.” Shiho softly said, gripping Ann’s hand tightly and beginning to quickly walk in the other direction. Ann seemed to complain at first, but a quick meow from Morgana shut her up relatively quickly. 

They were almost out of the park when the shout came her way.

“HEY SUZUI! WHERE’S YOUR CRIMINAL BOYFRIEND?”

Shiho knew that if they kept walking, they could escape. In fact, she tried to. But the ever headstrong Ann had a different idea.

“Excuse me?! You do NOT talk to Shiho like that!” Ann shouted back and wrested herself from Shiho’s grip, much to the other girl’s horror.

Shiho’s voice was shaky and meek as she attempted to grab Ann’s wrist again. “Ann, please, let’s just-”

“Hell no!” Ann cut her off, turning to face the other students. “What’s your problem with Shiho and Ren, huh?”

By this time, the group of students had caught up to them. The girl stepped forward, her gaze narrowing on Ann. “I can see you know Suzui, but you know Amamiya too? Hold on, wait a second…” Her head cocked to the side, before she reared her head a little. “Aren’t you the model Ann Takamaki? Why tarnish your reputation by defending the Phantom and the Phantom Thief Sympathizer?”

Ann was caught off guard from the praise for a few seconds, but she latched onto the underlying insult much quicker. “Who I am doesn’t matter. I’d ask why you’re bullying my friends, but it sounds like I already know the answer to that. You four just don’t know how to comprehend your jealousy of going to the same school as the hero who saved Japan from corruption.”

“Yeah, through countless crimes!” One boy yelled. “Shido might have been bad, but if the Phantom Thieves committed just as many crimes to put him behind bars, Amamiya and the rest of the thieves should be treated no differently. We can’t go around peacefully in this town knowing that a criminal mastermind gets to roam these streets freely!”

“Most of the general public seems to think of it differently.” Ann scoffed back. “And besides, Ren and the Phantom Thieves were the victims of the crimes. They were all pinned on him by Shido.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he committed assault a year ago! Amamiya shouldn’t be allo-”

The girl was cut off from the crisp sound of a slap echoing throughout the park, followed by a long sigh from Shiho.

_Whelp, here we go again…_

“Oh that is IT, you bitch!” The other girl said, and raised her hand in a fist to strike at Ann, making Shiho sigh. It was less the fact that she was worried about Ann, but more the fact that she was worried about Ann’s reputation. It all depended on how hard the other girl got hurt.

Fortunately, Ann went easy on her.

If Shiho blinked, she would have missed it. The other girl had hardly brought her hand forward before Ann expertly stepped forward while hooking a leg around the girl’s legs then pushed with all her might, sending her backwards while Ann pulled her leg forward as a means to tabletop the girl. She hit the grass with a hard thud, and before she could realize she was on the ground, Ann’s tennis shoe was pressed firmly on her stomach.

“I am NOT in the mood for this. I’m not going to waste my breath with you anymore. Just leave us alone.”

None of them moved from their spot as Ann wordlessly grabbed Shiho’s hand and made her way out of the park.

\----------

“At least Ann didn’t go further than that, b-but yeah, that’s not gonna end well for us…”

Ren sighed and leaned his head back against the wall of his bedroom while Shiho continued. _“Yeah. I appreciate her looking out for me, as well as not going full Phantom Thief mode and doing anything more than just that, but I feel like this is just going to make things worse for the both of us. That girl those guys were with is in our class, I think. Mizakama-san, who sits in the front row.”_

“Sh-Shit, she’s already been b-bad enough.” Ren gulped, shuddering slightly upon hearing the culprit.

_“Yeah. But hey, it’s ok. We’ll get through this as long as we stay together, right?”_

“I guess, y-yeah.”

_“I know it won’t, but... “_ There was a pause as Ren heard Shiho sigh on the other end. _“I don’t know. I just wish we didn’t have to deal with this. But anyway, Ann is coming out of the bathroom, so I gotta go. I’ll text you later?”_

“Sure. Later.”

Shiho ended the call and Ren gently bumped the back of his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet without Morgana, and with Makoto downstairs cooking them dinner at her insistence, the teen was left all alone in his room. 

His phone buzzed again, and thinking Shiho already texted him, he pulled it out to see it was Sumire instead.

> **_Sumire Yoshizawa:_ ** _Hello Senpai, I was wondering if you and Suzui-senpai maybe had some spare time over Golden Week to hang out? I need to take a break from Kasumi’s hyper self for a little while…_

Ren began a response detailing that he had no time since friends were visiting from Tokyo, but he could hang out the week after.

_“Sorry Yoshizawa-chan, but since my girlfriend is staying with me and she came all the way from Tokyo, I don’t think I’ll be able to…”_

_No. I can’t send that._

Sumire was all alone. Well, partly. She did have her sister by her side, but Ren knew that the cheerful Kasumi would bring him to wits end. And if Sumire was in any way similar to him, which he knew she was, she would do anything to get away from the happy go lucky mood. Depression was much more the style that him, Shiho, and Sumire rolled with. As horrible as it was, it was comforting, in a weird sense.

Ren’s fingers flew across his phone, and he let them type out the message.

> **_Ren Amamiya:_ ** _Shiho and I have friends visiting from Tokyo, but we should be able to get away for a day. When were you thinking?_

There was a sigh of relief and contentment when he sent the message. He might not really be able to help himself, but at least he could do some good for somebody else in a similar mindset.

“Ren! Dinner’s ready!”

“Coming, M-Makoto!”

Ren hopped off his bed, took one last look at his phone, and set it down. It wasn’t until then that he realized he’d need to deal with the impending jealousy Makoto seemed to harbour towards Shiho if he wanted to have a day with her and Sumire, but that would be a problem for another time. A dinner with just him and Makoto - no problems to think about, no bounty hanging over their heads, no worries of dying in a palace of twisted desires - was a rare treat.

And Ren wouldn’t dream of tarnishing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little update just to show I'm not dead and that I'm still writing! This chapter is a little shorter than most, but I felt like it had a good ending point. The break in chapters will also allow the story to flow better, since I don't plan on including every waking hour of what goes on while Makoto and Ann are in town, just as I already have time skips in this story. 
> 
> Chapter 35 of TWaM is still in the works, but my writing will probably slow down a little during the holidays due to it being, ya know, the holidays. To all the long time readers who have been with me even up until now, thank you so much for sticking around, have a happy holidays (if I don't update TWaM before then), and see you next update!


	9. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: discussion of abuse, self-harm, suicide, and rape.

There were fewer things greater than the feeling of waking up in your loved one’s arms in the morning.

It was something Ren had come to sorely miss, even though him and Makoto had only ever actually spent a few nights together. It was a miracle Sae had even given him her blessing in the first place. No reason to push his luck any further. But there were a few busy nights Sae wouldn’t be home, and being the teenagers they were, it would be a mistake not to take advantage of that fact. Especially when all Sojiro told his ward in terms of warnings was to wear a condom, much to his embarrassment.

And today was one of those rare mornings. In fact, the next five would be.

Ren’s eyes fluttered open to the sight of his girlfriend sitting at his desk, going through a textbook that she had brought with her. She heard him shifting in bed and glanced to look at him, doing a double take when she realized he was actually awake. Setting down the book, she slid back into bed with him, pecking his lips with hers.

“Morning, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?” Her voice was like velvet, and the teen could feel himself calming considerably.

“Normal, I g-guess.” Was his simple reply, and he cuddled up to her. “What were you studying?”

“Just some civics course, nothing special.” She replied, reciprocating his actions. “I don’t want to bore you with all the details. I’d rather talk about something else, like…” She paused for a brief second. “What are we doing today?”

Ren took a second to glance over Makoto and at the clock, which read 7:23AM. Plopping back down on his back, he looked up at the ceiling with a yawn. “My mom leaves for work a-at 7:30, so we have a l-ittle while…”

Makoto was bothered with the way he said that so casually. “That wouldn't be a problem if we weren't trying to tip-toe around your parents for some reason. Actually, is there a reason you haven’t introduced me to them yet? I imagine they'd like to meet the person they're letting into their home.”

When he said nothing, she pressed further, growing concerned. “Do your parents _even know_ that I’m here?”

Again, nothing.

“Ren! Hav-”

He quickly placed a hand over Makoto’s mouth, her voice rising too much for his comfort. “M-Makoto, please…”

The pathetic-sounding urgency in his voice shut her up instantly. 

However, it only spurred her curiosity further. She gently removed Ren’s hand from her mouth, whispering, “Ren, do your parents even know you have a girlfriend?”

After several seconds, he finally shook his head.

“Why not?”

“...They had s-somebody else picked out for me. Before S-Shido, at least.”

She stared at him for several seconds, then narrowed her eyes on him suddenly. “They had an _arranged_ girlfriend picked out for you? What is _wrong_ with your parents?”

Once more, he said nothing. Makoto sat up fully, and from that moment, Ren knew it was all going to come to light.

“What else haven't you told me? Why do you seem so scared of your parents? Do they treat you poorly?”

He shrugged.

“Ren. Please, answer me. Do your parents treat you poorly?”

“...”

“Ren!” Makoto hissed, more out of anger at his silence than her boyfriend himself. “I may not be smart with romantic relationships, but I’m smart in everything else. I _saw_ those protein bars under your bed. I _saw_ how worried you were about me cooking, and how adamant you were to not go near the kitchen when you said your mother could come home while you were in there. And I _know_ you love to cook.”

She noticed that Ren had started shaking, so she did her best to reign in her emotions as she softly laid a hand on his cheek. “Ren, you were even worried about your dad being in town while I was here. You’re always so accepting and open when it comes to others, and the only time I’ve ever seen you be so… scared when it comes to others is when we bring up your parents. Please, if something is wrong, tell me. I don’t want you to suffer. We can get Sae involved, she can hel-”

“S-Stop. Please.”

“I can’t. I’m worried about you, Ren.” She countered. “And you don’t deserve this, if it’s true. All I need is a confirmation, and-”

“N-No…” He replied, shaking his head feverishly. “I don’t want to b-be a burden.”

That nearly gave Makoto a stroke. “Oh God no, Ren! You’ll _never_ be a burden to me, or Sae, or anybody else!” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “Does Suzui-san know about all of this?”

“About what?”

“Your parents… abusing you.” Makoto choked up getting that one out.

“S-Stop this, please…” He repeated, likely knowing that answering the question would be the same as a confession.

Makoto simply stared at him for several seconds, but almost yelped out loud when the knob to his bedroom door suddenly jiggled loudly. She thanked her lucky stars that Ren had locked it the previous night.

“Ren? Did you use the kitchen last night?” A voice sounded from the other side of the door, who Makoto assumed was his mother.

She watched Ren’s face instantly pale. “N-No, why?”

“There were utensils misplaced, and I can’t find one of my cutting knives. Did you steal it?”

“Of c-course not, m-mom!”

“A likely story. If you hadn’t gotten into all those fights and other trouble at school, perhaps I would have believed you.” There was an exasperated sigh that lasted several seconds. “I should never have extended the olive branch to you; I knew your life as a Phantom Thief took you beyond redemption. Your father will be hearing about this unless everything is in its proper place by the time I come home.”

The couple stayed deathly still until they were absolutely certain they were alone in the house. And even after that point, it took Ren several seconds to find his voice…

...only to lose it again upon seeing an angry glare coming from Makoto. “Care to explain that? How is _that_ not abuse? That’s _verbal abuse,_ Ren! And look at you! You’re deathly scared of your mother telling your father about this!”

Once again, she found him dodging the question. “W-Well, what did you do with th-that knife? Did y-you lose it?”

Makoto took a deep breath, then once again brushed the back of her hand across his cheek. “I’m sorry, Ren, but…” She paused as she stood up and made her way to her duffel bag, pulling out a perfectly clean vegetable cutting knife.

The look of betrayal on Ren’s face hurt her deeply, so she did her best to explain herself as quickly as possible. “I grew up with a prosecutor and a police officer, Ren. As you know, my dad was an extremely practical person, and he taught me a lot of things before he passed. Like for example, how to spot signs of an abusive relationship. Sis taught me how to bait out evidence, a confession, or both at the same time. And on top of all of that, I’m studying law in preparation for becoming a police officer. The signs were there, Ren. And they’re _beyond obvious._ I’m trying to help you. So Ren, tell me your parents _aren’t_ abusing you.”

Silence.

Makoto sighed deeply, then placed the knife down on his desk so she could pull his head into her chest protectively. “You don’t turn eighteen for over half a year, so you can’t strike it out on your own yet. I’m going to talk to sis about this, she may be able to get CPS involved.”

“...The p-percentage of children that are t-taken away by CPS is extremely low…”

Makoto had already figured out what was going on, but the indirect confirmation from Ren still made her heart sink even lower. “But you have the best defense attorney in Japan on your side. We’ll just need to be careful about how we play the legal games.”

Ren sat up straighter, but Makoto refused to let go of his head. “B-But the legal system a-already hates me…”

Makoto shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. All it means is we’ll fight even harder for your freedom.”

Ren didn’t respond.

\----------

Ann was sitting at the kitchen table with Shiho and Rui Suzui when her phone buzzed.

> **_Makoto:_ ** _Hey, we need to have a talk. Both you and Morgana._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _It’s about Ren._

Ann took a bite of scrambled eggs, frowning.

> **_Ann:_ ** _What about him? Is he ok? He was kinda quiet yesterday..._
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _...No._

Ann set aside her fork, her attention now fully on her phone.

> **_Ann:_ ** _What happened?? Is he safe???_
> 
> **_Makoto:_ ** _At the moment, yes. It’s not an immediate danger, fortunately._

“Everything ok, Ann?”

She looked up with a start. “H-Huh? Oh, yeah! Sorry, just texting with Makoto.”

“Oh, I see…” Shiho paused, taking a bite of toast with eggs atop them. “Say, Ann… Does Niijima-san have something against me?”

 _Yes, she does…_ is what Ann wanted to say. Even if it hadn’t been explicitly stated, Makoto was clearly jealous of the relationship Ren had with Shiho. 

“Niijima-chan is Ren-kun’s girlfriend, yes?” Rui asked. “Why would she dislike Shiho?”

“Because she’s clearly jealous of the close friendship Shiho has with him, duh.” Morgana walked into the kitchen, stretching. “Of course, it’s not like they can understand me or anything…”

The cat jumped up and into Ann’s lap, Rui laughing gently as the teen nonchalantly petted him. “I swear, he meows so much you could think he’s holding a conversation with you!”

Morgana chuckled. “If only she knew. Anyway, those eggs look tasty. Mind if I have a bite?”

Ann sighed, but relented, pooling some of her eggs off onto her toast plate for the cat to munch on. As he pecked at the eggs, she unlocked her phone and showed the conversation with Makoto to Morgana.

Shiho didn’t bat an eye, but Rui was genuinely confused. “Is it ok for him to eat eggs? And why does it look like he’s reading what’s on Ann’s phone?”

Fortunately, the blonde’s best friend was a quick thinker. “Morgana has an iron stomach for some reason, he can eat anything. And I bet she’s just showing him a picture of Ren, or something. Is that it, Ann?”

Thankfully, Ann successfully took the opportunity. “Oh, yeah! Ren sent a selfie of him and Makoto, so I was just showing it to Morgana. The two of them want to hang out with us today. Did you have anything else going on today, Shiho?”

The girl in question shook her head. “Nope. I made sure my Golden Week was open so I could spend time with you all.” She smiled, downing the last of her toast. “It’s great to have my two best friends in one place, you know?”

“‘Best friend?’ Ren-kun certainly seems to be more than that to me, darling!” Rui pinched Shiho’s cheek, making her blush. “But you two enjoy yourselves. How I wish I had time off during Golden Week…”

Shiho shrugged off her mother’s touch with a light blush, then stood up to collect all the plates. “Oh, that’s right. You’re getting new clients this week, aren’t you?”

Rui nodded. “Mhmm. Funnily enough, it’s the gymnastics team from Isegawa. Their personal fitness trainer recently quit to go coach at a university, so they’re coming to my training complex until they find a new one, I suppose.”

“Wait, the gymnastics team? But don’t they already have a coach?” Shiho asked as she washed the dishes, recalling a conversation with Yoshizawa-chan about her coach that both the twins absolutely loved.

“They have a gymnastics coach, yes, but they also had a fitness trainer who helped the athletes with diets, exercise scheduling, all that sort of stuff.” Rui shrugged. “But when you compete at the national level like they do, they must want to have as many different experts as they can get! Especially since they have a couple of gymnasts with the talent to reach the olympic stage, if they worked hard enough.”

Shiho knew the Yoshizawas were talented, but she had no idea they were _that_ good. “Huh. Well, that sounds like a good opportunity. Are you meeting them today, then?”

“Yes, and I should probably get going soon.” Rui said, standing up to give Shiho a quick peck on the cheek. “You two have fun with Ren-kun and Niijima-chan! Do you know what you’re doing today yet?”

“Not yet. We’ll probably just meet up somewhere, then go from there.” Ann replied. She stood up, going to help Shiho with the dishes. “I’ll help Shiho with the rest of these. Don’t be late, Rui!”

The mother laughed softly and planted a kiss on Ann’s forehead. “You know me, Ann. I’m always on time. Have a good day, you two!”

As she left, Shiho found herself giggling. “I’ve always found it funny that she kisses you, too. It’s like she’s treating you as an adopted daughter.”

Ann sighed. “Well, with how little my parents are actually home, I feel like Rui is more of a parent to me than my actual parents…”

Shiho sobered up. “That’s… not wrong, is it.”

“Nope.”

They were silent for several seconds.

“So… What did Makoto say?”

“Oh, right. It seems like there’s something wrong with Ren…”

Immediately, Shiho set down her scrubber. “What happened? Is he ok? Was it-”

“Relax, relax, he’s not in any immediate danger.” Ann said quickly to cool her friend down. “It _is_ kinda funny though, you seem to be the most worried one out of all of us. But he’s tough. He's our fearless leader, after all.”

“Speak for yourself!” Morgana yelped, sitting in Ann’s old seat. “We gotta get going ASAP. I know more than all of you about Ren’s situation, and it’s worse than you think it is… Trust me.”

Ann’s eyes widened. “H-How bad are we talking?”

Morgana hesitated, then looked away from the two girls. “It’s not my place to say; he’s told me to keep quiet about it. But if what I think Makoto found out is what I think it is, then... “ He hopped down, stretching again. “C’mon, you two. We gotta get a move on. Where do they want us to meet them?”

\----------

The small village of Hanazawa which lies nestled in the mountains between Yaizu and Shizuoka was the place where the group decided to meet for the day. Even if it was a bit more out of the way than what was really required, Makoto had picked the place to double as a day-trip for both hiking, and visiting historic landmarks and shrines. 

And Ren had to admit, the strategy of getting out of town and into some nature did more good for him than he thought it would. With a small country cafe being the only non-residential building in town, the quiet and peaceful nature was soon calming him down. The peacuful sounds of running water in the streams next to the houses, the crane herons flying overhead, the lush vegetation growing from all angles, threatening to overtake humanity and reclaim the valley as its own. It was flat-out serene, and in a weird sense, it reminded him of Yongenjaya. Both were sleepy and tranquil, and while one was a jungle of green, the other was a jungle of concrete.

Even the normally proper Makoto could feel her shoulders drooping in relaxation. “It almost feels as if the town is sucking the life out of you, but in a good way. Good thing there’s nobody around, too.”

“E-Even if it’s Golden Week, th-there’s not much of a reason to come here.”

Makoto smiled, adjusting the backpack on her back. “You say that, but a quaint village and a hike to a view is more than enough of a reason. It’s not very often that I get the opportunity to come out to the countryside like this.”

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed reassuringly. He didn’t squeeze back, but his grip was firm. “It’s pretty. I-I like it.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Not since I got b-back from Tokyo.”

“Oh, I see…” Another quaint pause, the sound of the stream running alongside the houses filling the silence. “When was that, then?”

“Maybe… Five years ago? I came here with my…”

 _Parents…_ Makoto internally guessed. _And as much as I’d like to say to him today will be a great day, who knows how the conversation will go over with the others…_

They walked in silence for a little while longer, rounded a corner, and saw the two girls standing on a small bridge under the last few petals in a cherry blossom tree while Morgana was attempting to take a picture with a phone. It was a funny sight to Makoto, but to the family with a young child walking down the street, trying their hardest not to stare at a cat holding a phone with two paws while trying to take a picture with his tail, it was probably much more confusing.

“Do you want help with that, Morgana?” Makoto called out to the cat, doubling down on the family’s confusion that a girl would ask a cat if they want help, let alone the cat being able to do something like that in the first place.

Even Ren was chuckling heartily, and as the family passed the couple, he said nonchalantly “He’s very well trained.”

He turned his attention back to his friends, but felt a tug on his shirt. The culprit was the young child, a boy who Ren guessed was no older than six. “H-Hey, you’re the Phantom, right? You saved all of Japan?”

Ren considered denying it, but the knowing smiles on the kid’s parents faces made him take the thought back. _Not everyone thinks you’re a monster._ “Yeah, I am.”

"Are your friends Phantom Thieves?"

"Afraid not."

“Is that cat a Phantom Thief, too?”

“N-No, he’s just a very well-trained cat.”

“Oh, I see… Can I take a picture with you?”

“...Sure, why not?”

The child excitedly jumped up and down, standing next to Ren while his mother took out her phone to snap a quick picture. Once it was done, the boy looked up at Ren with a grin.

“Thank you so much, Phantom!”

“I’d like to thank you as well.” The father said. “In more ways than one.”

Ren had no idea what to say, so instead just stood there and smiled sheepishly. After a few seconds, they bowed to him, and were on their way.

“Look at Mr. Popular over here! If only that boy knew he was in the presence of half of the Phantom Thieves…” Ann exclaimed, breaking off from Shiho to give Ren a hug. She rubbed his back gently, ending with a squeeze. “Anyway, this place is cute as can be! Thanks for offering it up, Ren. I never really get to make it out to these cute villages these days, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

Shiho giggled, wagging a pointing finger between Ann and Makoto. “I think you both need to take a long vacation into the countryside. If you two are both floored by a sleepy village like this, a proper countryside town in the mountains would knock you out. Several months ago, my mom took me to Inaba, and that had some real proper countryside charm.” She rolled her neck, then pointed down to her feet, which were clad in hiking boots. “Anyway, Ren and I hike every once in a while in places closer to Yaizu, but this is the first time I’ve been up here too. We _are_ gonna do the mountain hike, right? I wanna take advantage of us being here.”

Makoto grabbed the straps of her backpack and presented them like a pair of suspenders. “Yup! I packed water, and even made sandwiches for us when we make it to the top. Even a little tuna sandwich for you, Morgana.”

The cat beamed. “I swear, Mom-koto always has things under control!... But I’m not gonna have to hike the trail myself, right? My paws will get dirty!”

Makoto didn’t even bat an eye. “Then I’ll just give the sandwich to somebody else who needs the calories they burned hiking.”

“Alright, fiiiiine, I’ll hike up myself… But just know that any other ordinary cat would have no chance!”

Some small chuckles went round the group save for Shiho, who only caught one half of the conversation. “...Did Makoto just back-sass the sassy cat?” She guessed.

Ann nodded. “Leave it to Queen to keep everybody in line. She’s the team mom, after all.”

“Aaaand, Queen is Makoto?”

“O-Oh shit, uhh…” Ann faltered, then looked at Ren. “Does it matter if she knows our Phantom Thief codenames?”

The boy shrugged. “At this point, not really. Anyway, there’s a tiny, traditional cafe further down the street. W-Want to stop there before we hike up?”

Makoto was quick to notice how Ren’s stutter had dropped dramatically from this morning, and she felt herself smile internally. _Good to know that he at least feels better for now._

The others agreed, and they all set off down the street together. Ren held back just a second to watch his friends, then set off after them, the rare feeling of being genuinely happy in tow.

\----------

“Sooo… I know we’ve been having a great time, but…”

“When are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”

“Yeah... That.”

Ren knew it was coming at some point, but his stomach still dropped after hearing the brief exchange between Ann and Makoto. _Oh well, at least the happiness lasted for a good few hours._

The group had made it to the top not too long ago and had just sat down on the grass for a late lunch after searching for a suitable lunch spot with a good view overlooking Yaizu. As Makoto dolled out the sandwiches, she eyed Ren cautiously. “Are you… going to tell them?”

The teen sighed, unwrapping his sandwich while looking over the small city that had given him so much grief. “I don’t w-want to, but I also don’t think I have a ch-choice.”

“No, you don’t.” Makoto replied. _And frankly, I don’t think Suzui needs to know, either. She's not as invested as the rest of us are._ “Everyone needs to hear this.”

He didn’t say anything back to her, instead just opting to merely munch on his sandwich. Morgana, slightly annoyed with his reservations, piped up. “Is it what I think it is, Makoto?”

At her nod, he continued. “That’s what I thought. Ann, you or Makoto will need to translate for Shiho, but…” He paused and took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Ren’s parents… are abusive.”

Makoto had to stifle a sob despite already knowing, but Ann didn’t fare anywhere near as well. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped open, completely at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Shiho was about to have a panic attack.

“Can somebody _please_ tell me what Morgana said?'' She demanded to nobody in particular, a hand rubbing on her temple.

Ann regained her composure and actually _growled._ “Ren’s... parents abuse him. Fuckers...”

“Oh my God. Oh my God. You’ve gotta be- oh my God… Ren, is- are you- is it actually- how can- _FUCK!”_ Shiho stood up, the sandwich in her lap falling to the ground, completely forgotten as she immediately started to pace in circles. “How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you tell me? Why-”

“Suzui-san, please! You’re making Ren uncomfortable!”

She stopped her pacing and looked at the teen, who was starting to shake. Taking a deep breath, she reigned in her emotions before opening her mouth again. “I just… Look, Niijima, I’ve been hanging out with Ren almost daily for the past month and a half, and I never noticed this. I’m not mad at Ren for not telling me, despite what I just said. If anything, I’m mad that _I_ didn’t figure it out! And he’s been abused for the past _fucking two months! FUCK!”_

She picked up a rock and hurled it into the brush as hard as she could, as if it would somehow solve her anger. “Do you know how hard it is to discover somebody who’s basically become your rock, your anchor to the world, is suffering horribly at home _on top of_ all the shit he goes through at that hellhole of a school? I’m pretty sure either he or I would have killed ourselves by this point if it weren’t for the other, and yet I’ve done fuck all while he goes home and gets abused. I’m such a fucking disgrace.”

Silence except for Shiho’s heavy, angry breathing filled the air as the words set in. Even Ann was completely taken aback. Shiho had never sworn so much in a short period of time before, and that told the blonde a lot. And that wasn’t even including the horrifying statements she made towards the end of her rant. Ann did her best not to think about it. “Shiho, I know it sucks, but there’s not much we can do about the past. I really hate it, too. It makes my blood boil thinking about it. But we can’t change the past. We can reflect on it, but not change it.”

“Ann’s right.” Makoto started, taking her time to choose her words carefully. “But Ren, you really should have told us earlier. It would have been even better if you told us while we were still the Phantom Thieves…” She looked briefly at Shiho, then sighed. “Just to sate my own curiosity, did you try them in the Nav?”

“...Yeah.”

“Was there a hit?”

“...Y-Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Didn’t want to waste time.”

Makoto glanced at Shiho again to see that she was nonplussed by the terminology. _So it seems he’s filled her in on some things about our work… Or maybe that was Ann._ “It would have been a quick stop in Mementos, I’m sure. So why not bring it up?”

Ren didn’t answer that but instead simply stood up, announced he needed a moment alone, then walked off before anybody else could contest. Figuring some time alone might actually do him good, Morgana stepped up to the plate instead. “One night his parents sent him a text message. I had no idea what it said, but afterwards he excused himself from the attic. I followed him down the stairs sneakily, and could just about make out him saying the last name ‘Amamiya’ into the Nav. There was a hit, but when he tried Mementos… it came back false.”

Makoto understood the implications immediately. “So they have a Palace? Botj the mother and father? Can two people even share one?”

Morgana shrugged. “The Metaverse works in mysterious ways. But in any case, they _had_ a Palace. The Metaverse is gone now, and that includes all the Palaces.”

“And that would mean the treasure would disappear forever without being stolen, meaning there would be no chance for them to have a change of heart now…” Ann finished, munching on her sandwich unhappily.

Shiho, meanwhile, was much less amused with the conversation. “I have no idea what the hell you two and the cat are talking about, but I don’t care. We _have_ to move forward and figure out how to get Ren out of the hands of his parents. ASAP. That’s all that matters.”

Makoto blinked, a little taken aback by the ferocity of Shiho’s attitude. “I-I suppose that’s correct, Suzui-san, although I think it’s still worth doing some background thinking. Knowing that Ren looked up his parents in the first place is a good sign. It means he was at least aware of the situation and that he showed interest in getting out of it. When did he look up his parents, Morgana?”

“Hmm… probably around late October, if I had to guess.”

“That makes perfect sense, then.” Makoto bit the inside of her cheek, looking out at the horizon thoughtfully. “Sojiro wasn’t really nice to him until we stole Futaba’s heart, and that was in August. After realizing that parental figures had the capability to be loving and caring, he may have thought something was off with his original parents.”

“Late October was when he discovered we were the Phantom Thieves, too.” Ann offered, twirling a ponytail with her finger. “When he didn’t turn us in, I bet that really surprised Ren. I don’t know very much about his actual parents, but it sounds like they would probably turn him in first thing…”

Morgana scowled. "His mom gave him once chance to redeem himself but after he got into a fight defending a junior of his, she flipped on him in an instant. I bet the second that the bounty Sae put on our heads reached the ears of the public, we would have been sold o-."

"Oh my God, can we _please_ just talk about our strategy for the future instead of having a conversation that doesn't matter right now with somebody that I can't even understand?" Shiho rubbed a hand across her face, annoyed.

Makoto sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Believe me Suzui-san, I want Ren to escape this situation just as badly as you do. Probably more, actually. But we need to approach this with a level head and with the proper path of action after considering all possible facts- past, present, and future. If we do something rash, it might backfire in our faces, and Ren would likely end up in a living hell worse than what he's in now until he turns 18 in November.”

“Yes I know, but _talking about the things you could have done doesn’t help us now_. We can’t waste any time on this!” Shiho muttered, moving the hands on her face to massage her temples. “We just need to act. That’s all there is to it. We can’t let him suffer any longer. _I_ can’t let him suffer any longer.”

It was at that point Makoto had had enough. She stood up, glaring down the ravenette. "Look Suzui, we _can't_ act without a plan. It would be like not preparing for our work when we were the Phantom Thieves. If we didn't prepare correctly, we would die. _I_ was the strategist of our group. You know, the one group that _saved the world?_ I think you should trust me a little when it comes from _saving my boyfriend from abusive parents._ I care about Ren so much more than you'll ever know, but need to do this _right,_ or else his parents will win the custody battle!"

"Oh, _suuuuure,_ just let him suffer until we get all the legal shit done. How long would that take? Until his fucking 18th birthday?! We need to get him out _NOW,_ and _then_ we can deal with the legal work."

"But it doesn't just work like that-"

"Shut the fuck up, Niijima."

Ann and Morgana stared dumbfounded at Shiho, and while Makoto looked like she was about to throw up an Aikido stance, that still didn't deter the ex-volleyball player from staring her down. Ann attempted to calm down Shiho with a hand on the shoulder, but she brushed it off immediately. Morgana, meanwhile, sleuthed away while muttering something about checking on Ren, who had disappeared from sight completely by now.

"You know _fuck all_ about being in the position Ren's in. Thos-"

"Excuse me? I-”

"NO! SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" Shiho shrieked, and Makoto begrudgingly relented. "You could actually _do something_ when you were a Phantom Thief! Do you think I could do ANYTHING when I was _raped_ by Kamoshida? Do you think I had the mentality to do anything when I fucking _jumped off the roof and tried to kill myself?_ I don't hold a grudge for it but the Phantom Thieves were too late to save me. I attempted sui-”

"S-Shiho, I thi-"

"Shut _UP_ Ann, and let me finish my fucking point. I attempted suicide after what Kamoshida did to me, and I was only in his serious radar as prey for a month at most. And he only physically touched me once.. Do you think Ren can last until you go through all your fucking paperwork? This might be a news flash to you, but _Ren fucking cuts himself, and I've already talked him out of suicide once._ He’s been enduring this for two months, and it’s still seven months until he turns 18 and can move out. Fuck knows how many more times I'll need to do it if we sit on our asses and do nothing while we wait for a process that'll take fuck knows how long. What if I'm not available the next time he feels suicidal after his parents hit him for something stupid like talking back to a bully?” She paused briefly to take a breath, and when nobody had an answer, she continued. “We _don't have time_ , Niijima. So get the fuck off your high horse, and let's come up with a plan to save Ren that can at least protect him for now, and we can worry about a more permanent, legal solution later. Isn’t ‘walking the right side of wrong’ is what you Phantom Thieves are all about in the first place anyways?”

The silence that filled the clearing was deafening. After a minute or two of nothing being said, Shiho grabbed her things, glared at both of them, then took off down the mountain in the direction Ren had gone.

\----------

The afternoon sun had begun to dip close to the horizon, and neither Ann nor Makoto had left the mountaintop.

Makoto watched as the skies blossomed in oranges, reds, and yellows across the mountains of the Japanese countryside, the only source of comfort grounding her to reality being Ann’s hand firmly interlocked with her own. How long had it been? Thirty minutes? An hour? Two hours? She was sure Ren, Shiho, and Morgana had more than likely left the town of Hanazawa by now, gone to some unknown destination. There were even a couple of groups of hikers who had come to the top, piddled around for a little while, and left, all in the time frame the two girls had been sitting there, still trying to process everything.

“We need to go soon…” Ann said softly, using her free hand to wipe a tear from her face. “Otherwise we’ll be hiking back in the dark.”

Makoto made a sound of acknowledgement, but didn’t budge. “I can’t believe Ren tried… tried to…” She couldn’t finish, and an ugly sob escaped her. She had lost count of how many times that had happened, as well as how many tissues Ann had given her. “We’ve sat here for who knows how long and I still can’t get over how Ren wanted to… Fuck…”

“I-I know.” Ann swallowed. “And… it hurts that he hasn’t told us.”

“Yes, it does. Why couldn't he trust his girlfriend?”

Ann had no answer. There was another very long pause, coupled with the quiet backdrop of crying and sniffling. 

“Makoto…”

“What is it?”

Ann took a deep breath, choosing her words slowly and carefully as she wiped away another tear. “I agree that we should do this the correct way. It’s the best way to protect Ren in the long term. But… When I think about Shiho, and what she went through with Kamoshida…”

“...You see a parallel with Ren and his parents?”

“Yeah.”

Makoto exhaled sharply, biting back another sob. “And you want to make sure that… it doesn’t happen again.”

“...Yeah.”

The brunette sat in silence for a minute, then finally hung her head in defeat. “But what can we do? Taking him back to Tokyo could be spun as kidnapping.”

“It would?”

“Yeah. And we wouldn’t win in court either. You've seen how bullshit the legal system is.”

“Y-Yeah… So then what?”

“We’d need to keep him here, in Yaizu. And he needs to continue going to school.”

“I see… I guess that makes sense. Him showing he’s still caring about his education would make sense. But wouldn’t it be a good idea to try to transfer mid-year back to Shujin? Ryuji and I are there, we could help him adjust.”

“He’ll be eighteen before the transfer would go through, and that doesn’t include the fact that Shujin already hates him.”

Ann groaned. “That’s true, but it’s not much better here, either. Honestly, I bet it's even worse out here...”

“I know, Ann… But we don’t have much of a choice. We could at least somehow secure him an apartment he can live in, away from his parents.”

“No way. That would be one of the worst things we could do.”

Makoto looked at Ann like she grew a second head. "Why the hell not? Isn't getting him away from his parents the goal?"

Ann sighed in retaliation, slightly annoyed Makoto didn’t get it. But then again, Makoto was always a bit slower in the emotions department. “It is, but letting a… suicidal teenager live alone would be-”

“Please don’t finish that.” Makoto said suddenly, the penny dropping for her. “I-I don’t want to think about what would h-happen if…”

She broke down into tears again, and all Ann could do was wrap her arms around her friend and squeeze her tight. Eventually, she spoke up. “I just came up with a half-decent idea, but I’m not sure if you’d like it.”

Through her tears, Ann could hardly make out what Makoto said, but it was something along the lines of “What is it?”

Ann sighed deeply, then stood up, pulling Makoto up with her. “I’ll tell you once we get back into Hanazawa. For now though, we really need to get down that mountain.”

As much as it pained Makoto, she knew Ann was right. “Fair enough. But Ann… can I ask you one more thing before we go?”

“Sure, shoot.”

“How come Suzui knows so much more about Ren than we do? And why was she calling him her anchor?”

Ann stared at the quickly fading horizon for a few seconds, then looked back to Makoto. “I’d tell you, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like that either.”

Makoto was going to protest, but Ann cut her off. “No. Later. For now, let’s just concentrate on staying strong, and getting down this mountain.”

“...Fine.”

They were silent the entire hike down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof.
> 
> To those of you who read TWaM wondering how Makoto and Shiho got along so well, especially with Makoto's jealousy issues, my answer is this. They definitely didn't. And they have a helluva long way to go before reaching that point. Anywho, onto the author's note. It's a long one, cuz there's a lot I wanted to talk about regarding this chapter.
> 
> One of the things I really like about this chapter is we get to see a side of Shiho that was shown to exist, but not explored, in the game. She was very protective and worried about Ann's safety during Kamoshida's reign, and I'd like to think that when somebody she cares about is going through the same thing she was, she's bound to get heated. There’s a hidden, underlying fire in the girl’s heart, and it’s backed when Ann talks about how strong Shiho normally is.
> 
> Another thing I really like is that while the careful and meticulous Makoto and hot-headed yet sweet Shiho both want Ren to be safe, both of their arguments have holes, yet also valid points. In Shiho's case, the short-term is satisfied with pulling Ren out of immediate danger. That's important, but it also ignores potential consequences from doing so. Meanwhile, Makoto's worries about Ren getting screwed over in court are unfortunately true. The Japanese equivalent of CPS does take things seriously, but often there are so many loopholes and issues with the system that the parents get their way. Therefore, being cautious and not making a stupid move is smart. However, that would mean leaving Ren high and dry in an environment that is openly hostile to him, and when his immediate future is unclear, it may push him to do something drastic. Either way, I absolutely loved writing this chapter! Even if it's depressing as hell, I think it moves the story along in meaningful ways, and into the meat of what I really wanted this spinoff from TWaM to be about.
> 
> Anywho, that'll be it from me for now. I'm unsure if TWaM or this will be updated next (I normally alternate between stories, but I’ve actually already started writing the next chapter of this because I was so invested), so be sure to keep an eye out. Until then, who do you think was in the right? Shiho? Makoto? Both? Neither? Ann? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!


	10. Uneasy Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Call me stupid but I only just now realized the function Ao3 has to divide sections in the story, so I'll be switching to that instead of the hyphens. It looks much cleaner!

“Ren, you are _not_ going back to your house.”

“But I-”

“NO. No buts. If there’s anything you want from your house, we’ll get it for you. Somehow.”

Ren bit his cheek, looking out the window of the taxi cab they were in. “Wh-Where are we going, anyway?”

Shiho dug into her backpack and pulled out a business card. “Remember your doctor in the ER? Dr. Suki? Well, I swiped one of her cards on the way out. That’s where we’re going.”

“Why there?”

Shiho sighed. “Because we don’t have any other options, ok? You’re too young to get a hotel room, Niijima will look for you at my apartment first thing, and we don’t know the Yoshizawa family well enough to just show up at their doorstep. Hell, do you even know where they live?”

He shook his head, so she continued on. “I need to take you somewhere you’ll be able to breathe. Somewhere you can just be away from everybody, especially Niijima. And Dr. Suki told you she owes you, so it’s time to use that favor.”

Ren didn’t deny the idea that he needed some time away from his friends, but he really wasn’t a fan of how Shiho seemed to hold a disdain for his girlfriend. “M-Makoto is tr-”

“I don’t want to hear a single thing about that girl.” Shiho scowled, shutting Ren up. “She doesn’t know what it’s like to be in our position. To have been where I was last year. To have been where you are now. And because she doesn’t understand the urgency of your situation, I don’t trust her with handling you.”

“I-I’m not some commodity to be handled. And wh-why are you so protective over me?” Ren asked impatiently, Shiho’s paranoia really starting to irritate him.

Shiho, however, wasn’t having any of it, dropping her voice low so the taxi driver couldn’t hear. “Ren, you’d be stupid to think I haven’t noticed the signs of you being suicidal. It took me a little while, but I figured out what happened last week when I called you once we got home from the ER. I honestly can’t explain why, but I really care about you. Maybe it’s because you’re my first and only friend in this God-awful town.” She paused. “Well, now maybe not my only friend, thanks to Yoshizawa-chan. But I digress. I’ve spent more hours of the day with you than without you for the past month and a half, and both of us have gone through some serious trauma. It would be kind of weird if we weren’t close friends by now. And ultimately, I really don’t want you to repeat the same mistakes I did. So, I’m being protective over you because you’re my best friend, and I’m scared you’ll be driven to do what I did last year.”

She leaned back into her seat, breathing out a deep sigh. “And you know all of this. We’ve had this discussion before. So be quiet, and stop pretending you’re fine. It’s ok to get help, you know.”

To her surprise, Ren actually chuckled. “Normally I-I’m the one helping people…”

“...Well, allow me to repay the favor.”

* * *

Around fifteen minutes later found them standing in front of Dr. Suki’s clinic, a very standard-looking practice that was on one of the bigger side roads in east Yaizu. Squeezed in with other businesses on either side like your typical high street, the building rose up to be four stories tall, and Shiho was thankful that there was no balcony or windows that could be opened large enough for somebody to squeeze through.

The pair paid the taxi cab then walked in, a little chime of an entry bell announcing their appearance, and for a second Shiho wondered if they got the wrong place. On one side of the room was a sitting area that had a door to what Shiho guessed was an exam room, and the other half looked like something straight out of a pharmacy. All sorts of over-the-counter medicines were carefully ordered on several small free-standing shelves, complete with aisle labels for neat organization. The shelves themselves only came up to Shiho’s shoulders, so she could see all the way to the back of the room where there was a proper pharmacy stand with the stronger medications behind the counter. And behind that counter was Seiko Suki, her feet propped up on the desk even despite the fact that she was wearing a dress under her lab coat, which Shiho thought was a touch unladylike. In her hands was a Nintendo Switch, but it was forgotten once she recognized who her customers were.

She set the console on the counter, stood up, and stretched. “You two both look like shit.”

Shiho blinked.

After a few seconds of silence, Dr. Suki sighed. “His face is red and his eyes are puffy, and you look like you’re going to pop a blood vessel from clamping down on your jaw too hard.”

Shiho noticed that her jaw was indeed clinched very tightly. She unhinged it, crossing her arms. “What are you getting at?”

“I’m saying that you two need a break from whatever it is that’s going on. Did you get attacked again?”

“No, or at least, not me…”

Suddenly, Morgana popped out of Ren’s bag that currently sat on Shiho’s shoulder, meowing while pawing at Ren. 

“Hey! Get back in the bag!” Shiho hissed, but was shortly stopped by the doctor with an “Oi!”.

Suki swung her legs over the counter, walked over to the front entrance of the store, and locked it. “He’s showing real concern for his owner, don’t be such an ass. Now come on, I’ll take you to the back. It’s probably a good idea to check up on his bruises, both fresh and old.” 

* * *

Viewing all of Ren’s bruises and cuts was no easier the second time.

Not much else had changed, but Shiho did silently curse to herself when she noticed a fresh line of cuts along his upper arms. If she had to guess, they were only a couple of days old, but there was no way in hell she would ask about it.

What she did think was ok to ask about, however, were some of the more faded bruises on his torso that were probably results from his Phantom Thief days. “Hey Ren, you don’t have to answer this, but where _did_ you get the wounds on your chest?”

To her surprise, he didn’t seem to mind much even with Dr. Suki currently dressing the bruises in question. Maybe because he had too many other things on his mind, like some kind of shock. “The cuts a-are self explanatory for you, yes?” Upon Shiho’s nod and Suki’s shake, he continued. “I got these bruises back in N-N-November. When I g-got taken into police custody.”

Shiho recoiled, but Dr. Suki seemed more intrigued than not. “Any bruise that was made that long ago should have long since healed by the end of December.” She paused as she finished dressing the light brown footprint on his chest.

Ren gulped, taking a deep breath. “T-That one is still there b-because the prison officers would… would…”

 _Would keep kicking the bruises._ Shiho internally fumed, but now was not the time to show outwards anger.

Dr. Suki frowned, then poked the midsection of the bruise. Ren hissed in pain and Shiho was about to scream in anger along with Morgana, but the doctor raised a hand before any of that happened. “He’s tough, he’ll be fine. I was just trying to confirm my suspicions, but I’d also like to have an x-ray performed on his stomach and chest as well.”

The penny dropped for Shiho. “You think he has broken or cracked ribs?”

The suspicions were confirmed with a nod. “And I’m going to guess you never got treated for it?” She asked, looking at Ren with flat eyes.

“...N-No, I guess not…”

“Not even the prison doctors?”

Ren just gave her a weird look.

Dr. Suki waved it aside immediately, embarrassed she even asked. “Right, right, nobody cared about you on the inside and all that. Figures they would never do medical checkups. Why didn’t you go to the hospital after you got out?”

“I g-guess they never hurt enough for m-me to go.”

“Irrelevant. Pain does not equal your medical condition.” The doctor retorted, resisting a facepalm. “Broken ribs can lead to pneumonia, and then it just goes from there. And normally broken ribs heal within six weeks, but because you continue to get into fights and get injured, they’ll never actually make the time.”

He simply shrugged in return, unable to come up with a solid response. 

Dr. Suki sighed again as she spun him around to look at his back. “Let me guess. Either you can’t afford the hospital bills, which is absolute bullshit given the way you paid in the ER, or you’re scared of the ramifications of your parents if you admit yourself to the hospital.”

The wince when she mentioned his parents was all it took for her to understand. “So that, plus given the fact that I see some new bruises on your back and head that you didn’t have last time, I’m going to chalk the reasoning for these up to parental abuse. Sound about right?”

Shiho could tell that hit home hard for Ren, but maybe it was for the better. After several seconds he finally gave a meek nod - the first real direct confirmation he’d given Shiho so far.

Dr. Suki seemed content with it, at least. “Well, step one is to admit there’s a problem, so that’s done. Step two is to finish patching you up, which is almost done. Step three would be to get you admitted to the hospital so you could get some specialists to make sure none of the damage needs surgery.”

“Can’t you check that, Dr. Suki?” Shiho asked.

“First off, just call me Suki. I don’t like formalities and titles and all that bullshit. Second, I’m not a specialist. I can tell something is wrong, but my job as a GP is to monitor my patient’s health, and point them to a specialist when it’s something besides your common sickness or twisted ankle, what have you. And in a minor’s case, I’d call their parents to fill them in on the situation. Although I guess you’re in a weird spot with your parents right now.”

The form of bluntness the doctor often took was something Shiho would certainly have to get used to, especially if her plan was to work out. “...Right. So that’s actually the real reason we came here. I wanted to ask if you didn’t mind him staying with you temporarily.”

“So he’s running away from home?”

Shiho opened her mouth to answer, but Suki cut her off. “Who are you, his mother? you can’t keep answering for him. This needs to come from his own mouth.”

That angered the girl quite a bit, but Suki did have a point. Shiho needed to admit what had happened with her own mouth when testifying against Kamoshida, for example. And at least Suki didn’t answer her request with a flat out ‘no’.

“Y-Yeah, I guess…”

“And you know the legal age of full adulthood in Japan is twenty, correct?”

“I-Is it not eighteen?”

“Not entirely, but eighteen year olds do have some restrictions lifted. For example, you could legally live alone, no questions asked. How old are you now?”

“Seventeen. Eighteen in N-November.”

Suki crossed her arms, but her face was unreadable. “If Japan did one thing right, it was that there's no law stating a child _can't_ run away from home, especially if it's abusive. But in case if you weren’t aware of how the technicalities work, a runaway child can have one of three things happen to them. The first is… well, nothing. Plenty of teenagers live alone despite normally needing to be eighteen to own an apartment or property, and if you don’t draw too much attention to yourself, you won’t ever get prodded about it. The other outcome is more common; if the country of Japan sees you as a delinquent or juvenile when you run away, then you’d be placed under custody of a police officer.”

“That would be no better than his parents…” Shiho grumbled, then shut up quickly when she got a glare from Suki.

“...And for obvious reasons, I’m guessing you aren’t a fan of getting tangled up with the law again anytime soon.” Finishing her handiwork, Suki rolled back her chair, giving Ren the space to put back on his shirt. “Although if I recall correctly, wasn’t your record wiped clean? I read that in the papers following your release.”

“Yeah. I d-don’t have anything on my record anymore.”

“So that would technically let you fall under the ‘not a delinquent’ category, and you wouldn’t need any sort of police presence to ‘keep you under control’.” Suki said, rolling her eyes. “Besides, those officers are shit at that job anyway…”

Shiho so badly wanted to ask the burning question after Suki trailed off, but ultimately decided that now was not the time. “So, you’ll help him?”

Her heart soared when the doctor nodded. “From the legal side of things, he’s _technically_ not doing anything wrong. Even so, me housing him could be spun as kidnapping if the prosecutor was particularly nasty. And this is Japan, so let’s face it - every prosecutor is nasty. But luckily for you, I’m not very fond of the law, either. Fuck those stupid prosecutors and their stupid system.”

Shiho watched Ren’s shoulders visibly relax at that, while Morgana meowed in approval. Or at least, what Shiho thought was approval.

That finally got the attention of Suki, who stared at the black cat with disinterest. “I’m guessing he’ll be staying here too? He was in that same bag last week, if I remember correctly.”

“Mhm. S-Sorry if that troubles you.”

“Nah. I used to have a cat myself, so I don’t really care. He could be a good therapy pet for you, too.” She said, scratching Morgana under the chin. “It’s gotta be temporary, though. Not that I don’t mind you staying here, but I’d prefer to not be charged with kidnapping and sent to jail? Took me a damn long time to get where I am now, and I would rather not throw it away.”

Shiho raised an eyebrow. “If you’re so worried, then why help at all?”

Suki shrugged as she dispensed some hand sanitizer, cleaning her hands off after her work on Ren. “Your parents will probably wait one or two full days before they finally realize something is up, and then they’ll spend maybe another full day or two sitting on that information until they phone the police. Or maybe they won’t at all if the kick to the nuts of their reputation would be too large.”

She paused, clearing her throat. "Which leads me to the third and worst outcome of all of this. Sometimes, to save face, the parents will attempt to bring their child back into their custody through legal battles. It's not guaranteed to happen but it's possible, and like the whole delinquent scenario, the legal system already has the upper hands due to the sheer number of loopholes circumnavigating child protection laws. And let's just say that most children who are forced to go back to their parents… aren't exactly the happiest of the bunch."

This time, Shiho couldn’t resist asking. “...Just _how_ do you know all of this?”

She should have known better, but Suki looked only marginally less annoyed than what Shiho expected. “If you can’t answer that yourself, go back to kindergarten. But petty insults aside, I hope you two have a plan for all this.”

Shiho stood up, placing a hand on her chest. “I do have one, but it’s going to be a few days before it goes into action, hence me asking you to house him for a little while. I just need to get somebody I know who’s related to a defense lawyer that can help on board first.”

Suki bit her cheek, staring off into space. “All I can say to that is that lawyer better be nothing short of a fucking miracle worker if you want this to go off without a hitch.”

“I’m sure it won’t.” Shiho admitted. “But it’s still better than nothing.”

* * *

Even though Ren was in the hands of somebody who was evidently no stranger to this type of situation, Shiho still felt a horrible wrenching in her gut when she left the clinic... alone.

_It feels like I’m doing the absolute worst thing, leaving him when he needs friends most. But I have to trust that Suki will keep him safe…_

She tightly gripped the house key to the Amamiya residence that Ren had given her, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm her nerves. _Because I have a job to do._

* * *

“She’ll be back in a few hours at most, you know.”

When Ren didn’t move from his spot at the entry to the clinic, Seiko sighed and grabbed onto his wrist. “C’mon, le-”

She nearly toppled over when Ren pushed her as hard as he could, and when she regained her balance, she was very angry. “Now listen here, you insolent f…”

The anger turned to confusion as Ren strode up to her, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal a few faded scars on his wrists.

_Oh, right. Handcuffs. Probably doesn’t like having people grab his wrists…_

Fortunately, she had the gall to feel embarrassed. “Sorry, I kinda forgot about that part.”

“It’s fine.” He said quickly, and Seiko got the feeling he was just saying that to be polite. “So now what?”

At that moment, the gravity of the situation finally set in for the doctor. She was assisting the famous Phantom with running away from home, and was putting herself at risk for being arrested for kidnapping a minor. She didn’t know off the top of her head how many years in jail that would net her, but she had no intention of finding out. “We get you upstairs and out of sight. From now on until further notice, you’re in hiding. Try not to show your face in any windows, if people see you and the word you’re missing gets out, we’re both fucked.”

“You l-live above the clinic?”

Seiko nodded, content that he at least didn’t object to the ‘in hiding’ part. “Yeah. Lots of people live above their establishments.”

“I know. It just reminds m-me of my home in T-Tokyo.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You lived above a clinic?”

“N-No, a coffee shop in Yongenjaya.”

Seiko raised the other eyebrow. “That must be Leblanc… Do you know who Tae Takemi is?”

His eyes widened and he exchanged looks with the cat (strangely enough), but before he could answer, she suddenly shook her head. “No, don’t tell me yet. Let’s get upstairs, I’ll make us some dinner, and then we can talk all you like. It’s not like you have anything else better to do at the moment, anyway.”

* * *

Ann couldn’t say she was surprised when she and Makoto came back to the empty apartment that was the Suzui residence. Makoto, however, was a very different story.

“God FUCKING dammit!” She cursed, doing everything but using Suzui family property as a means to vent her anger. At least, until she began to beat her fists into a pillow on the couch. “Why are they not here?”

“I wonder why…” Ann muttered under her breath, eyes closed.

“Where else would they go?”

“Makoto, clear your head and think straight!” Ann said exasperatedly, placing the tips of her fingers on her forehead. “There’s no way they would have just come back here when they knew we would come after them. They went somewhere else.” She paused. “And before you ask, no. I don’t know where they could have gone.”

The brunette wheeled on Ann, scowling. “How can you be so calm about this?”

Ann gave her a quizzical look. “Because Ren isn’t in danger? Ther-”

“Of COURSE he’s in danger!” Makoto shot back, making Ann wince. “If we don’t get him home before his mom gets home, who knows what may happen! The consequences could very well hurt him!”

“They would, which is why _he’s not going home ever again.”_ Ann said, as if it were obvious. She started back up before Makoto could wedge any more words in, her words charged and fast. “Look, I agree that we need to go about this the right way. But keeping a suicidal teenager at home with abusive parents is worse than any other alternative, even if you’re there. And that’s only for the rest of this week. What would happen to him after you leave?”

“Morgana would keep him company.”

“If you think Morgana would be enough for him, then you’re wrong.”

“Then I could stay with him until we can find a place for him to live.”

Ann rolled her eyes. “Makoto, you _know_ that wouldn’t work for multiple reasons. You can’t attend university online, either. And once again, that doesn’t solve anything.”

When Makoto didn’t say anything back, Ann let out a big sigh and crossed her arms. “You’re smart, Makoto. You know what needs to be done. You just don’t want to actually do it.”

“Do you mean you think he should move in with the Suzuis?

“Yes. He’d be with people he knows, a friend that cares about him, and a parental figure to protect him for us at least until we get Sae involved. Rui would agree to it too, once we explain the circumstances to her. It’s the only reasonable option, Makoto, and you know it.”

Ann watched as Makoto grabbed a cushion from the couch, buried her face in it, then screamed at the top of her lungs for a good ten seconds.

Eventually, she lowered the cushion to her chest, hugging it tightly. “But Suzui-”

“Please just stop right there.” Ann groaned, placing her hands on her hips. “Makoto, you’re jealous of Shiho.” She let it sink in, Makoto’s eyes widening in shock. “Yes, it’s obvious. No offense, but you’re horrible with those types of things. I could easily tell. Shiho could easily tell. Even Morgana told me he was concerned about potential beef between you and Shiho. And while I haven’t asked Ren directly yet, I can imagine he notices it, too. So can you _please_ just put your jealousy away for once? We don’t even have to fix it right now. But we do need to be there for Ren.”

Ann breathed a sigh of relief as Makoto slowly nodded. “...Fine. I really wish we didn’t have to basically help him run away from his own home since that could jeopardize our position in court, but I’d rather have him alive and testify than… the alternative.”

“Glad you agree.”

Makoto slowly set down the cushion in its original spot, then rubbed her eyes. “So what do we do, then? Should we go to his house and pack some things for him? I know his mom doesn’t get back for another few hours, so we should have time.”

“I was going to say the same thing. Do you have a way to get in?”

“I have a house key in my backpack. Shall we?”

* * *

Dr. Suki’s living accommodations were about as different as you could get from Leblanc’s attic.

The second floor of the building was for the shop/clinic’s purposes, but there were still a good two floors that resulted in a small three-bedroom loft with more than enough living space for one person. 

“Geez, this place is a proper hideout…” Morgana muttered as they entered, making the jump from the floor to Ren’s shoulder. “And uhh… quite extensively decorated. And I thought the attic room by the end of the year was cluttered.”

Indeed it was. Nearly every shelf, table surface, and wall had _something_ on it, whether it was anime figurines on shelves, band and movie posters on the walls, and even a large yellow, white, purple, and black striped flag hanging behind the flat screen television in the living area.

“Your cat really likes to meow a lot, huh?” Suki asked as she slid around the small eat-in bar and into the kitchen, throwing on an apron.

“O-Oh, sorry about that. I promise he’s well b-behaved.” 

She shrugged. “As long as he doesn’t make a mess or keep me up at night, I don’t care what he does. What’s his name, by the way? You haven’t told me yet.”

“I haven’t? It’s Morgana.”

“Morgana, huh? Breaking the gender stereotypes with the name, I dig it. Nice pick.” She bent over and held out her hand to coax Morgana, who was more than happy to oblige for the free pets. 

If only we could tell her where my name actually came from…” Morgana chuckled as Suki rubbed his back. After several seconds, she stood up to return to her task of pulling ingredients from her fridge. “I’d just have instant ramen cuz I couldn’t be arsed tonight, but since I have a guest, I may as well go a step up. Does actual legit ramen with extra stuff work for you?”

Ren nodded, a small smile crossing his face. “That sounds like something my s-sister would say.”

“You have a sister? Is she being abused too?”

The question was blunt as usual, and Ren couldn’t fully hide his wince. “No, she’s in Tokyo. It’s kinda complicated… S-She isn’t legally my sister, but she may as well be. We’re really c-close.”

“Ah, gotcha. The surrogate sister. At least she doesn’t have to deal with it, too. Does she know about this though?”

“N-No.”

“Figures. So, only your ladyfriend that I’ve only ever seen you with knows?”

Ren shook his head. “My girlfriend and another one o-of our friends know.”

Suki raised an eyebrow quizzically. “You’re saying the cutie you keep showing up with isn’t your girlfriend? The one that was just here?”

“N-No, she isn’t! We’re just good friends…”

“Huh. Well, she will be one day. Mark my words.” She said nonchalantly while she grabbed her cutting board. “You guys may only be friends, but I see the way you two look at each other.”

Ren was more flabbergasted than not, the implications of having to break up with Makoto in the first place going right over his head. “W-What do you mean?”

Suki didn’t answer while she put a pot of water to boil, and filled a saucer of milk in front of Morgana for him to chip away on. There was a long sigh as she threw a block of ramen into the boiling water, then she finally spoke. “I’m a therapist. Well… _was_ a therapist, would be a more correct term. I notice those sorts of things. And before you ask, yes, I’m both a doctor and a therapist. Work by day, online med school by night.”

Morgana and Ren exchanged a quick look, the feline shrugging. Ren took it as egging him on. “S-So...why did you decide to go back to m-medical school?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you over ramen. In the meantime, go ahead upstairs, take the first left. That’ll be your room, so go and get situated, maybe wash your face so you look less like you’ve been crying on and off for the past few hours. Dinner will be ready in around twenty.”

* * *

Shiho had a few expectations as to what might happen when she made it to Ren’s house, but seeing Ann and Makoto standing in front of it was not one of them.

The two were talking in hushed tones as she approached, but before she could get within earshot, Makoto noticed the newcomer. She stood up straight, scowling. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Suzui…”

Shiho crossed her arms, unperturbed. “I could say the same to you, Niijima. Did you think I would really take him back here?”

The tension could have been cut with a knife, which Ann opted to go for before things went south any further. “Ok ok, I think we both have the same goal here, right? Moving Ren out? Can we just focus on that and then we can argue later? Besides, we have something else I’m much more worried about.”

Makoto stared down Shiho for several seconds until the ravenette broke eye contact, all the adrenaline of the past few hours that kept her so hotheaded starting to wear off. “...Alright, we can at least work together for that. What’s the problem?”

“Makoto and I saw both of his parents in the house…” Ann announced, hugging one arm with the other. “Ren’s dad wasn’t supposed to be here all week. Why would he come back early?”

“No idea, but it doesn’t do us a lot of good to speculate on that.” Shiho mulled as she stared down the small, standalone house. “For now, we just need to get his things.”

“That’s a bad idea, at least for now. Shouldn’t we return tomorrow when we know his parents will be out of the house? It would make things much easier.” Makoto offered.

Ann shook her head, her pigtails bobbing. “I somewhat agree with that, but we need to get at least something for Ren to be comfortable tonight. Today was a hard enough day on him already.“

Shiho chuckled awkwardly, spinning a stray strand of her hair. “Wellllll, Ren may have told me he keeps a small duffel bag packed with a couple of nights of clothes and toiletries under his bed. 

Ann gave Shiho a surprised look, but Makoto hardly reacted. “I can confirm that. I saw a duffel bag when I looked under his bed, but I didn’t know if there was anything inside it.”

“Geez, I didn’t think it would be so bad he’d have a bag ready to go at all times…” Ann sighed, looking at the house with disdain. “Although that just makes me even more confused. If he was packed and ready to get away, why not just do it? Morgana knew, why didn’t he convince him to?”

“Who knows what goes on in his head…” Shiho grumbled. “But it doesn’t matter now. Let’s just get his duffel bag and go.”

“And how do we do that?”

Shiho shrugged. “We could just knock on the door and say we wanted to say hi to Ren. His parents wouldn’t be rude to strangers, would they?”

Makoto shook her head, a hand resting in her chin. “No, that wouldn’t work. Even if they were nice to us, I highly doubt they’d let any of us go inside. Or even worse, they may find out Ren isn’t home.”

“Well, for all we know, they already know that. How couldn’t they if they’re home?” Ann asked.

“Never underestimate the negligence of a horrible parent…” Shiho said under her breath, crossing her arms. “Either way, we need to do something. Sooner or later they’re gonna see us loitering around their house. And unless we want to do something drastic like breaking in through Ren’s second story window, our only other option is… Wait, why are you two looking at me like that?”

Shiho didn’t realize her mistake until Makoto and Ann looked to each other, grinning. “Ohhhh nononono, we are _not_ doing something as crazy as that!”

“Sorry Shiho, but you’re outnumbered here. Time for us to do things the way we know how - the Phantom Thieves way.”

* * *

“Are you sure this is ok?”

“It’s pitch black out, and all the lights in the house are off. Nobody will see us out here, and nobody will hear us as long as we’re quiet!”

Shiho sighed for the upteenth time as she watched Makoto and Ann brace themselves, each offering their hands as a platform for Shiho’s feet to stand on. “I don’t know, this all just feels really sketchy… What if we get caught? What if Ren’s window is locked?”

Makoto stood up straight, groaning. “In the entire time I’ve been here so far, he’s kept the window cracked open. And Suzui, if you’re too chicken to do it, I can.”

Shiho was taken aback, but fortunately Ann was quick to defend her. “Don’t snap at her. Besides, she still has doctor’s orders to not lift excessively heavy objects. Just because her physical therapy is finished doesn’t mean she can do anything.”

Well… sort of defend her. Shiho didn’t exactly feel great from hearing about how she was still physically impaired. _It’s the thought that counts, I guess?_ “Err, thanks, Ann. No, I can do it, Niijima. This is just the first time I’ve ever done something like this before.”

Ann grinned at her. “It’s kinda liberating, honestly. Sure, we may as well be delinquents at this point, but being a Phantom Thief is all about walking the right side of wrong.”

“But I’m not a Phantom Thief.”

“An honorary one, then. Anyway, are you ready?”

“Feel like we should put that to a vote first…” Makoto said while rolling her eyes, then resumed her position bracing for Shiho to climb up on. “Alright, first foot on the knee and hands, then the next is on the shoulders. You’ll be high enough to easily get on the hedge by then, and from there it’s a short hop to the car port roof.”

Shiho did her best to ignore Makoto’s remark and instead focused on the tranquil sound of running water in the drainage canal for the small plot of crops across the street. Due to the lack of streetlights, she could only just barely see the two girls in front of her, their determined faces the shining light in the dark that Shiho needed. 

“C’mon, I don’t want to stand any longer in this muddy rice patty!” Ann hissed in a whisper, though Shiho could tell it was good-natured. “Our shoes are gonna get all muddy!”

“Alright, alright! Let’s do this.” Shiho steeled her resolve, and stepped up on each of the girls’ knees. Ignoring their sounds of disgust from the mud she was tracking onto them, Shiho quickly stood on their shoulders and swung her arms over the hedge. Testing it would support her weight first, she lifted her legs up and swung them around so she was lying flat to even distribute her body weight. But even then, she felt the hedge starting to buckle under her.

Shiho felt a branch crack, and in a panic she lurched her upper body up and towards the car port roof. Her upper arms hooked on the roof but the distance between her and the hedge was too much, making her lower body fall and dangle. Doing her best to keep quiet and refrain from panicking, Shiho began to very slowly lift her body up, which shot a whole new wave of pain through her. She hadn’t exerted this much effort since before the incident. Her grip was starting to slip. She felt herself begin to fall-

But was quickly stopped in her tracks when she felt hands holding up each of her feet. “C’mon, Shiho!” Ann grunted, doing her best to keep the girl up. “You can do it!”

With the combined effort of the two of them, Shiho managed to make it to the roof, safe and sound. She gave a silent thumbs up to Ann as thanks, then opened the window to Ren’s room.

She had never been in his room before, let alone his house, but it looked like something she would expect him to have. However, she wasted no time in accomplishing what she set out to do. Silently asking for forgiveness as she tracked mud on his bedsheets, Shiho quietly stepped down from the bed and looked underneath. Finding her objective, she pulled it out, stared at it for a little while, then unzipped it.

_Sorry, but I need to check first…_

She rifled through his bag, eventually finding his toiletries kit. Opening it up, she found a pair of razors and replacement heads tucked away in the bottom. 

“Of course…” She muttered, taking them out. “You’re done with these, Ren.”

Shiho tossed the razors aside into the bathroom, followed by the replacements, the razors making a clanking sound on the tile. After that was finished, she hastily stood up, zipping up the bag. But before she made a move for the window, there was a knock at the door.

“Ren? Are you in there?” A feminime voice sounded out.

Shiho froze in her tracks, completely unsure of how to react. A few seconds later, there was a knock again.

“Did you stay in your room all day? You need to do something else other than sitting around doing nothing.”

Again, Shiho said nothing.

And then the doorknob turned.

She was like a lightning bolt after that. In one big step she was at the head of the bed, and on the next she had a foot out the door. The good news is that his mom was very slow in opening doors, apparently. She was able to make it out before she was seen.

The bad news, however, was…

“Where did all this mud come from? Ren? Did you sneak out?!”

...That the tracked mud would give her away.

Shiho didn’t stay to hear any more of it. Shimmying across the roof up against the wall to prevent her from being seen, she leaned over the edge to see that both Ann and Makoto were standing there, waiting for her.

“Is somebody else up there?” Ann whispered, worry on her face. And when Shiho nodded, she immediately held her arms out. “Jump down, we gotta get out of here asap!”

She didn’t think Ann could easily catch her like that, but Shiho sat on the roof and slid off anyway. Just as she was surprised with Ann confronting the bullies in the park, she was surprised now with how easily her friend held Shiho’s weight with nothing but a slight grunt.

“Ann, have you been lifting?” She felt herself ask, despite knowing this was probably the absolute worst time to do so.

“I had to work out for the Phantom Thieves, now let’s go!”

The three of them burst into a run, or at least as fast as Shiho could manage with her limp, and fled into the countryside night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally picking up in this story. It won't ever be as action-packed as TWaM, but Ren and Shiho often talk about how this was one of, or if not, the worst year of their lives. So it's gotta be pretty eventful for it to be that bad, huh?
> 
> This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to cut out a part I hadn't finished yet and include it in the next chapter so I could get something posted. As for TWaM, the next chapter is well under way! And if I may say so myself, it's going to be quite a roller coaster, so stay tuned!


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